Questions and answers about the Higgs boson
The discovery of the Higgs boson filled in a missing piece of the standard model of particle physics, which describes matter and its interactions. A decade later, physicists continue to probe the particle for clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe. emily conover reported in “The Higgs boson at 10” (SN: 7/2/22, pg. 18).
by Conover The Higgs boson story thrilled physics enthusiasts and inspired many comments and questions. In the article, he explained that a Higgs boson is a wave in the Higgs field, an invisible property that pervades the cosmos. When elementary particles interact with the field, they gain mass. More massive particles interact more strongly with the field. Reader Lewis Holcombe he wanted to know if elementary particles have zero mass before they interact with the field.
That’s exactly the idea Conover He says. “In the earliest moments of the universe, before the Higgs field ‘turned on,’ all fundamental particles were massless,” he says. “But the standard model doesn’t explain why different particles interact with the Higgs field in the amounts that they do, and therefore have the masses that we measure.”
Since the Higgs field imparts mass, the reader paul leonardo He wondered if the field is also responsible for gravity.
The Higgs field is not responsible for gravity, Conover He says. Although mass and gravity are related, they are different concepts. “Gravity is not part of the standard model,” she says. “We still don’t have a working theory of gravity at the particle physics level.”
In the standard model, the forces are transmitted by particles. Scientists believe that there is another particle, not included in the standard model, called a graviton, which transmits gravity, Conover He says. If it exists, the graviton is expected to be a massless particle with no electrical charge. But it will be extremely difficult to find, he says, because gravity is so weak compared to the forces in the standard model: electromagnetism, the weak force, and the strong force.
Reader brad ruben he wondered about another standard model particle: quarks. A top quark is as heavy as a gold atom. That large mass is reflected in measurements of the particle’s interactions with the Higgs field, Conover informed. Since quarks make up protons and neutrons, which are the building blocks of atoms, Reuben he asked how a single quark can weigh as much as an atom.
The mass of the top quark is not a contradiction, Conover He says. According to the simplest picture of the innards of protons and neutrons, the particles do not contain top quarks. Protons are made up of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons have two down quarks and one up quark, she says. A closer look reveals a more complex picture. “For example, inside the proton there are not only quarks, but also gluons. These are massless particles that carry the strong force, which ‘glues’ the quarks together.” Conover He says. “There is also a ‘sea’ of various types of quarks and antiquarks that last for only brief moments in the proton.” The energies and other subtle properties of these subatomic particles contribute to the mass of the proton.
technology takes time
Light subatomic particles called neutrinos could help monitor nuclear submarines to ensure that the uranium-rich fuel many use is not weaponized. emily conover reported in “Neutrinos could spy on nuclear rebels” (SN: 7/2/22, pg. 12).
Reader John Oxman He asked how useful this monitoring technology would be, considering that all countries that currently have nuclear submarines already have nuclear weapons. Non-nuclear weapon states could get nuclear submarines in the future, Conover He says. For example, Australia is ready to acquire such submarines with the help of the United States and the United Kingdom. “Although the need for this type of monitoring is not immediate, the process of implementing and perfecting monitoring technologies, especially a new type that uses neutrinos, is very long,” he says. “For such a technology to be useful, researchers must anticipate the need well in advance.”