Right chiral vs left chiral electrons in the standard model

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SUMMARY

In the Standard Model of particle physics, left chiral and right chiral electrons are treated as distinct entities due to their differing quantum numbers. The left chiral electron is part of a doublet under the SU(2) gauge group, while the right chiral electron acts as a singlet. This distinction leads to different interactions during weak processes, particularly in high-energy collisions where mass effects become negligible. The discussion also raises questions about whether bosons exhibit similar chiral separation.

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HBrown
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In what sense (if any) is the right chiral and left chiral electron different particles in the standard model?
Sometimes I hear particle physicists refer to left/right chiral electrons as different particles that are 'mixed' by the mass term. Maybe I misunderstood entirely, but if there is even a handwavy sense in which this is the case, clarifications would be appreciated. In high energy collisions where the mass is negligible, do these start to enter calculations as two different kinds of particles or something?
 
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HBrown said:
Summary:: In what sense (if any) is the right chiral and left chiral electron different particles in the standard model?

Sometimes I hear particle physicists refer to left/right chiral electrons as different particles that are 'mixed' by the mass term. Maybe I misunderstood entirely, but if there is even a handwavy sense in which this is the case, clarifications would be appreciated. In high energy collisions where the mass is negligible, do these start to enter calculations as two different kinds of particles or something?
They have different quantum numbers. One is a singlet under the SU(2) of the Standard model while the other is part of a doublet. This means that they participate very differently to weak interactions.
 
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Are any of the bosons also separated into two different left/right chiral fields? Or only the fermions?
 

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