I Is the Higgs field in its present form phlogiston-like?

[Prishon]

Phlogiston lead to the discovery of oxygen but was later on proven to be imaginary. Can the same be said of the quite strange Higgs field and Higgs mechanism following from the strange Mexican hat potential? Is that potential just imaginary? It lead to the discovery of the eponimous particle, true. But what about the Higgs field (in its present form) and the Higgs mechanism?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Could we think we're right but actually be wrong, with the correct theory - which nobody has even imagined yet - reproducing all the results of the present incorrect theory?

I guess.

 

[Prishon]

Could we think we're right but actually be wrong, with the correct theory - which nobody has even imagined yet - reproducing all the results of the present incorrect theory?

I guess.

In this case I think not. If you consider the "normal" Higgs field (with normal potential energy values for all field configurations) as real there will not result the non-existing Higgs mechanism. It will lead to different interpretations of the Higgs particles and quarks/leptons (and possibly W/Z particles). But history went differently.

 

[haushofer]

Could we think we're right but actually be wrong, with the correct theory - which nobody has even imagined yet - reproducing all the results of the present incorrect theory?

I guess.

Including solving the non-unitarity of collissions including W-bosons by the degrees of of freedom left in the Higgs field after the spontaneous symmetry breaking in the guise of a scalar particle.

So even if the Higgs mechanism is wrong, Nature still demands a scalar particle.

 

[haushofer]

Phlogiston lead to the discovery of oxygen but was later on proven to be imaginary. Can the same be said of the quite strange Higgs field...

According to which criteria is this "strange"? Why would Nature care about the notion of strangeness of some apes who evolved mainly to eat, beat and reproduce?

 

[weirdoguy]

Besides, since Higgs boson has been experimentally found, and Higgs field and Higgs mechanism in its present form are considered to be a part of the Standard Model, not some "beyond" models, shouldn't this thread be moved to another subforum?

 

[Vanadium 50]

shouldn't this thread be moved to another subforum?

This thread should be closed. The OP doesn't like a minus sign in the Lagrangian. I don't like Brussels sprouts.