When did particles gain mass in the early universe?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter friend
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Mass Particles
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the cosmological era in which particles gained mass and the reasons for their lack of mass prior to this period. It explores theoretical implications related to the Higgs field and its role in particle mass within the context of the early universe.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the specific cosmological era when particles acquired mass and seeks to understand why they were massless before that time.
  • Another participant asserts that the Higgs field is integral to the standard model of particle physics and is responsible for mass, but notes a lack of theories explaining the emergence of the Higgs field from prior conditions.
  • A participant speculates that in the early universe, the Higgs field may have been too unstable, producing excessive Higgs bosons, which could have prevented particles from coupling to it and thus acquiring mass. They express uncertainty about whether particles can couple to highly fluctuating fields.
  • A later reply reiterates the previous speculation about the Higgs field's fluctuations but emphasizes that this idea does not align with established concepts in the standard model, leading to a closure of the thread.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of the Higgs field and its implications for particle mass. The discussion includes speculative ideas that are not universally accepted, indicating unresolved questions and competing theories.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the behavior of the Higgs field and its fluctuations, which are not fully explored or defined. There are also references to personal theories that may not align with established scientific frameworks.

friend
Messages
1,448
Reaction score
9
In what cosmological era did particles get mass? And why did they not have mass before this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The Higgs field is now accepted as a part of the standard model, (due to successful experiments at LHC) and in that model, that is why things have mass.
I don't know of any theory which predicts the emergence of the Higgs field from something exising before that.
 
I wonder if it could be that in the very early universe the higgs field was producing too many higgs bosons, which means the higgs field was fluctuating so much that it may not have been possible for particles to couple to the higgs field; so they did not have mass at that time. Can particles couple to things fluctuating too much? My intuition tells me no, but I'm not sure.
 
friend said:
I wonder if it could be that in the very early universe the higgs field was producing too many higgs bosons, which means the higgs field was fluctuating so much that it may not have been possible for particles to couple to the higgs field; so they did not have mass at that time.

This doesn't resemble anything in the standard model. Please bear in mind the PF rules on personal theories. Thread closed.
 

Similar threads

High School I wonder about a particle's energy when mass is obtained or lost
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
Undergrad Where are these neutrino masses coming from?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
Undergrad Why is the Weak Force Considered Weak Despite the High Mass of the W Boson?
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
5K
Undergrad Pole mass and non stationary mass of a particle
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad Antimatter-matter annihilation: significance of opposite charge
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
5K
High School How do alpha particles interact with electrons in gold foil experiments?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Can a hypothetical atom be made out of positrons and electrons ?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Undergrad How Often Are the Charge and Mass of High-Energy Cosmic Rays Identified?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
High School Fundamental particles and mass quantization
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
High School Can Earth or any spherical object in space act as a particle collider?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K