Higgs mechanism

[Catillina]

I was wondering if there is someone on RevLeft who could (try) to explain to me, what exactly the Higgs Mechanism and/or the Higgs Element is.
I only vaguely know something about it, that it's a reason for the mass of an object, but thats all.
I know the question is difficult, an probably only physik students or proffessors could explain it, but I'll give it a shot here^^

Thanks comrades

Catilina

[black magick hustla]

Actually, my research group specializes in that so maybe I could help a bit. There is a set of particles called as gauge bosons. gauge bosons are special because they mediate the elementary forces. Electro-magnetic force is mediated by the photon, gravitational force is theorized to be mediated by the graviton, etc. Some of them have mass, and some of them are massless. The gauge bosons that have a mass must have gotten it from somewhere, and that somewhere is the Higgs Mechanism. The Higgs Mechanism is that event where the Higgs particle gives mass to the other particles, hence the name of the god particle. It is theorized to exist but we have not find it. For example, my group does work in Fermilab handling the particle accelerator called the Tevatron.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I wonder if it would be possible to dick around with the Higgs Mechanism in some fashion. Imagine the applications...

[leftace53]

For example, my group does work in Fermilab handling the particle accelerator called the Tevatron.

A Commucist?! I think I love you :wub:

How do you observe (or rather in this case, how does cern plan to observe) the higgs boson (or any byproduct of particle collisions really) that we're all searching for? What would be the next step after discovering the higgs boson? Whats the higgs field? How is it different from the boson? Should I not have switched out of a physics major for one in philsophy? W and Z bosons have mass right? So can the Higgs be subject to weak nuclear force? How far do force carrying particles interact with other force carrying particles?
:blushing:

[Coggeh]

Actually, my research group specializes in that so maybe I could help a bit. There is a set of particles called as gauge bosons. gauge bosons are special because they mediate the elementary forces. Electro-magnetic force is mediated by the photon, gravitational force is theorized to be mediated by the graviton, etc. Some of them have mass, and some of them are massless. The gauge bosons that have a mass must have gotten it from somewhere, and that somewhere is the Higgs Mechanism. The Higgs Mechanism is that event where the Higgs particle gives mass to the other particles, hence the name of the god particle. It is theorized to exist but we have not find it. For example, my group does work in Fermilab handling the particle accelerator called the Tevatron.
Didn't the tevatron find the first signs of the existence of the Higgs Bosom and are now actually more likely to find it before the LHC ?:)
Take that u snobby swiss jerks!

[danyboy27]

I wonder if it would be possible to dick around with the Higgs Mechanism in some fashion. Imagine the applications...

i saw some pretty interesting speculation about that, some argues that it could lead to teleportation, anti-gravity, many wild stuff.

that could explain why europe spend a good 6 billion on the LHC to discover the higgs bosson.

i mean, 6 billion spent just to discover 1 single thing, it have to have some future behind it.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

i saw some pretty interesting speculation about that, some argues that it could lead to teleportation, anti-gravity, many wild stuff.

If the Higgs Mechanism regulates mass, then some form of anti-gravity may be a possibility. Don't see how it could allow teleportation, which is difficult enough to achieve with particles let alone macroscopic objects.


that could explain why europe spend a good 6 billion on the LHC to discover the higgs bosson.

Even without antigravity, the research is worthwhile in the long run.


i mean, 6 billion spent just to discover 1 single thing, it have to have some future behind it.

The discovery of the Higgs Boson would be the LHC's star turn, but there's no reason further experiments could not be carried out.