Undergrad What makes up the bare mass of elementary particles?

[timmdeeg]

TL;DR

Is it possible to describe in simple language what elementary particles like electrons, quarks or neutrinos having no inner structure do consist of?

And as an aside what is the difference between bare mass and invariant mass of such particles?

 

[anuttarasammyak]

string theory is regarded as a challenge to this quest ion. I don’t know it is the right way or not.

 

[PeterDonis]

Is it possible to describe in simple language what elementary particles like electrons, quarks or neutrinos having no inner structure do consist of?

Not if "they are quantum fields" isn't sufficient for you. That is the only answer that our current theories give.

And as an aside what is the difference between bare mass and invariant mass of such particles?

The invariant mass is what we actually measure. The bare mass is a theoretical artifact that comes in as part of renormalization.

 

[timmdeeg]

Thanks!