+18 votes
in Quantum Field Theory by
edited by

Your answer

Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
+16 votes
by

No, that is not accurate. While it is true that the interaction of elementary particles with the Higgs field is responsible for their mass, the statement that only left-handed electrons interact with the Higgs field is an oversimplification.

In the Standard Model of particle physics, elementary particles are divided into two categories: left-handed and right-handed particles. Left-handed particles, such as left-handed electrons (or more precisely, left-handed components of the electron field), interact with the Higgs field and acquire mass through this interaction. Right-handed particles, on the other hand, do not directly couple to the Higgs field in the same way and were initially considered massless in the early formulation of the theory.

However, it was later discovered that right-handed particles, including right-handed electrons, do have mass. This mass is not directly associated with the Higgs mechanism but is instead believed to arise through a different mechanism known as the Yukawa coupling, which involves interactions with other particles.

In summary, both left-handed and right-handed electrons have mass, but the origin of their masses may be attributed to different mechanisms within the framework of the Standard Model.

Welcome to Physicsgurus Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...