Is the Higgs Particle the Sole Determinant of Inertia?

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SUMMARY

The Higgs particle is essential for providing mass to elementary particles, specifically in the context of the electroweak theory. This theory posits that particles like electrons and photons were originally massless, and the introduction of the Higgs mechanism allows for the generation of mass terms in the Lagrangian without breaking the necessary symmetries. It is crucial to distinguish between rest mass and relativistic mass, as the discussion emphasizes that mass, in this context, refers solely to rest mass, excluding massless particles like photons and neutrinos.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the electroweak theory
  • Familiarity with Lagrangian mechanics
  • Knowledge of particle physics terminology, specifically mass types
  • Basic concepts of symmetry in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the Higgs mechanism in particle physics
  • Study the implications of the electroweak theory on particle mass
  • Explore the differences between rest mass and relativistic mass
  • Investigate the role of symmetries in Lagrangian formulations
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, students of particle physics, and anyone interested in the fundamental concepts of mass and the Higgs particle's role in the universe.

Zman
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The Higgs particle is said to be required for mass.
Does this mass in this case mean inertia?

Surely all that is required for mass is energy.
 
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No...we are talking about the rest mass here...not about the total relativistic mass...photon, for example, is massless...


in the electroweak theory, electrons and photons are originally massless...It is something like this..the particles have a lagrangian...there is a definite form for the mass term of a particle in a lagrangian...but in the electroweak lagrangian those terms are not allowed as they break the symmetries we want the lagrangian to have in order to explain experiments...so people found another way to bring about the mass terms...but that method requires at least an extra particle called the Higgs particle..

Neutrino and the photon are massless even after all this...but again, mass means rest mass only..
 

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