Chapter 4 – Forces
Higgs field
Peter Higgs predicted the Higgs boson as the source of mass. Its detection in 2012, was a major validation of the standard model.
How does the Higgs particle create mass?
An object’s mass is its resistance to changing momentum. A high mass means it is difficult to start it moving and difficult to stop it.
The Higgs field creates resistance to changing speed – that is mass! Particles interact with the Higgs field even when at rest.
The energy from the interaction gives the amount of mass from E=mc2
The amount of mass a particle has depends on how strongly its field interacts with the Higgs field. Particles with zero mass have no interaction with the Higgs field
Big Idea
The Higgs field gives mass to particles