In 2012, the Grand Adron Collider confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, a significant development that validated physicists’ long-standing assumptions about a field permeating the universe and impacting elementary particles. While this discovery marked a crucial step in understanding fundamental processes, the mechanism by which the Higgs field functions remained complex.
To simplify the explanation, metaphors are often employed. The Higgs field has been likened to soup, molasses, or even a crowd of people through which particles pass, slowing down and acquiring mass. However, such comparisons contradict basic laws of physics taught in university courses. If the Higgs field truly impeded movement, the Earth would have collided with the sun by now due to this inhibitory effect. Additionally, if the field were a substance, it would defy the principles of relativity presented by Galileo and Einstein.
In reality, the Higgs field is not responsible for slowing movement. Its true nature lies in vibration. According to modern quantum field theory, the Universe is filled with various fields like electromagnetic and gravitational, each associated with specific particles. The Higgs Boson represents minimal ripples in the Higgs field.
Visualizing an electron, its state can be compared to a guitar string vibrating at a resonant frequency. This analogy clarifies that all fields in the universe possess their own resonant frequencies, likening the Universe to a complex musical instrument shaped by vibrations.
The quantum field theory emphasizes the correlation between a particle’s mass and its resonance frequency: the faster the vibration, the greater the mass. If a field lacks a resonant frequency, particles linked to it remain massless and in constant motion, like photons in an electromagnetic field.
Therefore, the Higgs field acts as an “amplifier”, enhancing the resonant frequencies of other fields to increase the mass of their particles. This analogy illustrates how the Higgs field impacts other fields and generates numerous particles.
Understanding the Higgs field’s role is crucial in explaining how the Universe attained its structure. The theory suggests that following a massive explosion, the universe was filled with fields, including the initially dormant Higgs field. As the universe expanded and cooled, this field became active, tightening other fields and granting their particles mass. This process transforms the universe into a quantum musical instrument as it exists today.