I Is the false vacuum theory not well accepted?

AI Thread Summary
The false vacuum theory, which posits that the universe exists in a metastable state, is met with skepticism among many physicists who argue that if it were true, existence would have been impossible billions of years ago. Katie Mack illustrates this concept by comparing it to a piece of paper that should have spontaneously combusted but remains unburned due to prior conditions. Many researchers believe that natural processes, such as cosmic inflation and high-energy collisions, could stabilize the Higgs field, suggesting an unknown mechanism at play. This ongoing debate highlights the complexities and uncertainties in understanding the Higgs boson and the stability of our universe. The discussion reflects a broader inquiry into the fundamental nature of physics and the stability of the universe.
Trollfaz
Messages
143
Reaction score
14
Research into the Higgs boson suggest that the universe is in a false vacuum but I heard many physicists do not take it seriously as they think that if it were true we cannot even exist as it would have wiped us out billions of years ago.

For example Katie Mack said that its like a piece of paper that is thought to spontaneously combust but it had been put into a furnace in the past and yet it did not burn. What she means is that there are a lot of natural processes that is intense enough to knock the higgs potential to the stable state such as inflation, cosmic ray collisions, energetic quasars but we are still safe.

Are a lot of physicists taking this instability as an error to tell us that there is something unknown physics that is stabilising the Higgs field
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
Trollfaz said:
Research into the Higgs boson suggest that
If you could provide a link to what you've been reading, we might be able to respond more sensibly.
 

Thread 'Does it make sense to build new radio telescopes?'

TL;DR Summary: In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect alien signals, it will further expand the radius of the so-called silence (or rather, radio silence) of the Universe. Is there any sense in this or is blissful ignorance better? In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect...
View full post »
Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

This is indirectly evidenced by a map of the distribution of gamma-ray bursts in the night sky, made in the form of an elongated globe. And also the weakening of gamma radiation by the disk and the center of the Milky Way, which leads to anisotropy in the possibilities of observing gamma-ray bursts. My line of reasoning is as follows: 1. Gamma radiation should be absorbed to some extent by dust and other components of the interstellar medium. As a result, with an extragalactic origin, fewer...
View full post »

Thread 'Could fast radio bursts be alien radar signals?'

Both have short pulses of emission and a wide spectral bandwidth, covering a wide variety of frequencies: "Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are detected over a wide range of radio frequencies, including frequencies around 1400 MHz, but have also been detected at lower frequencies, particularly in the 400–800 MHz range. Russian astronomers recently detected a powerful burst at 111 MHz, expanding our understanding of the FRB range. Frequency Ranges: 1400 MHz: Many of the known FRBs have been detected...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Could cosmic rays induce a vacuum decay in the future?
Replies
5
Views
3K
I From a false vacuum to a true vacuum?
Replies
2
Views
2K
A Higgs inflation and quadratic gravity
Replies
1
Views
3K
Primordial black holes refute Higgs vacuum decay?
Replies
9
Views
4K
A "The 7 Strangest Coincidences in the Laws of Nature" (S. Hossenfelder)
2
Replies
62
Views
9K
125 GeV Higgs and Vacuum Instability
Replies
10
Views
13K
Particle # conservation in a spontaneously broken theory
Replies
1
Views
2K
I What false hints of new physics were most notable?
Replies
30
Views
8K
B The observable and non-observable parts of the Universe
Replies
38
Views
6K
I Trying To Conceptualize Two Dimensions Of Time
Replies
2
Views
4K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top