How does the higgs boson give particles mass
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How the Higgs Boson Gives Particles Mass
Introduction to the Higgs Boson and Its Discovery
The Higgs boson, a fundamental scalar particle, was discovered at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012, marking a significant milestone in particle physics1 2. This discovery confirmed the existence of the Higgs field, a complex scalar field postulated nearly five decades ago within the Standard Model of particle physics2 9. The Higgs boson has a mass of approximately 125 GeV, a value that has been precisely measured through various decay channels4 8.
The Higgs Mechanism and Mass Generation
Electroweak Symmetry Breaking
The Higgs mechanism is central to the Standard Model, explaining how particles acquire mass through electroweak symmetry breaking. In this framework, the Higgs field permeates the universe, and particles interact with this field to gain mass. Specifically, the Higgs boson gives mass to the W and Z gauge bosons, which mediate the weak interactions, making these interactions short-range1 2 6.
Coupling to Fermions
The Higgs boson also couples to fundamental fermions, such as quarks and leptons, providing them with mass. This coupling is proportional to the mass of the fermions, meaning heavier particles interact more strongly with the Higgs field1 6. Recent experiments have directly observed the Higgs boson coupling to muons, further validating this mechanism1.
Precision Measurements and Implications
Higgs Boson Properties
Precision measurements of the Higgs boson's properties, such as its mass and decay channels, are crucial for understanding its role in the Standard Model. The combined data from the ATLAS and CMS experiments have provided a highly accurate measurement of the Higgs boson mass, around 125 GeV, with a precision of 0.09%4 8. These measurements are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the Standard Model6.
Stability of the Vacuum
The observed properties of the Higgs boson place the Standard Model vacuum intriguingly close to the border of stable and metastable. This suggests potential connections to deeper physics beyond the Standard Model, including questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the early universe's phase transitions1.
Future Prospects and Research Directions
High-Luminosity LHC Program
Future research at the High-Luminosity LHC aims to further probe the Higgs boson's interactions and explore its potential deeper origins and structure. This includes precision measurements of its couplings and self-interactions, which are essential for understanding the Higgs potential and its implications for cosmology and particle physics1.
New Physics Signals
The discovery of the Higgs boson opens the door to exploring new physics beyond the Standard Model. Models predicting additional Higgs bosons or modifications to the Higgs couplings are being tested, with potential signals of new physics expected at the LHC3.
Conclusion
The discovery of the Higgs boson has profoundly impacted our understanding of particle physics, confirming the mechanism that gives particles mass. Ongoing and future experiments aim to delve deeper into the properties of the Higgs boson, potentially uncovering new physics and answering fundamental questions about the universe.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
The Higgs boson implications and prospects for future discoveries
The Higgs boson discovery in 2012 has significantly impacted our understanding of the physical universe, with its properties potentially hinting at deeper physics beyond the Standard Model.
A New Boson with a Mass of 125 GeV Observed with the CMS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider
The CMS experiment has observed a new particle with a mass of 125 GeV in proton-proton collisions at CERN, suggesting it may be a new Higgs boson.
Highly CitedCreating the fermion mass hierarchies with multiple Higgs bosons
A new class of two Higgs doublet models with avor symmetry broken at the electroweak scale could explain the hierarchies among fermion masses and mixing angles, potentially revealing new physics signals at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Combined Measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass from the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>H</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">→</mml:mo><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi><mml:mi>γ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998
The combined measurement of the Higgs boson mass from the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2 and Run 1 yields a mass of 125.11 $pm$ 0.09 (stat.) $pm$ 0.06 (syst.) = 125.11 $pm$ 0.11 GeV
Updated global analysis of Higgs couplings
The new particle H has spin zero and positive parity, and its couplings to fermions and massive bosons resemble those of the single Higgs boson in the Standard Model, with a linear dependence on particle masses to within a few percent.
Highly CitedCombined Measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS Experiments.
The combined measured mass of the Higgs boson is 125.090.21 (stat)0.11 (syst) GeV, consistent with the individual channels and two experiments.
Highly CitedA Particle Consistent with the Higgs Boson Observed with the ATLAS Detector at the Large Hadron Collider
The ATLAS experiment at CERN has observed a new particle with a mass of 126 giga-electron volts, supporting the standard model of particle physics and the existence of the vacuum field.
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