The Higgs mechanism is a fundamental concept in particle physics that explains how elementary particles acquire mass within the framework of the Standard Model. It involves the existence of a particle called the Higgs boson and a field known as the Higgs field.
According to the Standard Model, the universe is filled with a Higgs field that permeates all of space. Elementary particles, such as quarks and leptons, interact with this field as they move through it. The Higgs field has a non-zero value, meaning it has a uniform presence throughout the universe.
Particles that do not interact with the Higgs field, like photons, would not experience any effect from it and remain massless. However, other particles, such as quarks and leptons, interact with the Higgs field and experience a drag-like effect as they move through it. This interaction slows them down, and the energy associated with this interaction manifests as their mass.
The Higgs field's influence is mediated by Higgs bosons, which are particles associated with the oscillations of the field. When the Higgs field is excited, it creates Higgs bosons that can be observed in high-energy particle collisions, as was done at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to discover the Higgs boson in 2012.
The Higgs mechanism can be summarized as follows: The Higgs field permeates space, elementary particles interact with it, and this interaction generates a drag-like effect, which we interpret as mass. The more strongly a particle interacts with the Higgs field, the greater its mass.
The discovery of the Higgs boson and the confirmation of the Higgs mechanism played a crucial role in validating the Standard Model of particle physics. It provided an explanation for the origin of mass in elementary particles and was a major milestone in our understanding of the fundamental particles and forces in the universe.