Interaction with the Higgs Boson

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the nature of the Higgs boson, particularly regarding its interactions and potential applications in engineering. Participants explore whether current knowledge allows for any form of control over the Higgs boson, and the implications of such interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether it is known if the Higgs boson can be interacted with or controlled in a manner similar to electrons, suggesting there may be room for discovery.
  • Another participant asserts that the interactions of the standard model Higgs are well understood, particularly how its vacuum expectation value contributes to mass for gauge bosons and fermions, while noting the role of quantum corrections in scattering processes.
  • A third participant highlights the extremely short lifetime of the standard model Higgs boson, indicating that it is not easily interacted with due to its instability.
  • A later reply reiterates the Higgs boson's short lifetime and expresses a desire to learn more about its properties.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the potential for interaction with the Higgs boson. While some assert that its interactions are well-defined, others suggest that there may still be undiscovered aspects. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practical implications of these interactions.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the implications of the Higgs boson's instability on potential applications or interactions, nor does it clarify the extent of current knowledge regarding its control.

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Do we already know enough about the Higgs to be certain that we cannot interact with it(i.e. exert any type of control over it, like we can with electrons) or is there room for discovery there?

I was just pondering some implications of such an ability, and realized that I don't know if the Boson is something that can have physical applications in engineering.
 
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For the standard model Higgs the interaction is exactly known. The interaction with its vacuum expectation value creates mass for the gauge bosons (except for the photon) and the fermions (except for the neutrinos). The interaction terms contained in loops (no external Higgs but only internal lines i Feynman diagrams) can be calculated and result in quantum corrections to other scattering processes which restrict the experimentally allowed mass range for the Higgs.
 
It's worth mentioning that the lifetime of the standard model Higgs boson is very short, 10-22 sec or less, depending on its mass. So it's not something you can easily "interact" with!
 
Bill_K said:
It's worth mentioning that the lifetime of the standard model Higgs boson is very short, 10-22 sec or less, depending on its mass. So it's not something you can easily "interact" with!

It sounds like I have a little more to learn about the higgs, I didn't realize it was so unstable.
 

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