Is the Higgs field the same as space?

[CuriousCarol]

I suppose the title says it all. I'm not a physicist, obviously, and all I know on the subject I know from pop science. I tried Googling this but got pretty much nothing. Here's what I want to know--is there a difference between the Higgs field and the phenomenon we know as space, or are they one and the same?

Enormous amounts of apologies if this is the most hilariously stupid question you've ever come across, but, hey--if it's that hilariously stupid, you should thank me for the free giggles.

 

[The_Duck]

No, they are not the same. The Higgs field, like the electromagnetic field, is something that exists throughout space. However they are not the same thing.

 

[Naty1]

I assume you really mean spacetime and you'd have to define 'same' for a complete answer.

But in general terms, perhaps the presence of either is a requirement for the other, but right now it is thought the Higgs field is a separate entity within spacetime and is responsible for mass of some particles. That's what's in the Standard Model of particle physics.