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Cosmological evolution of the Higgs boson's vacuum expectation value
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH UK.
The European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields
|January 31, 2020
Summary
The universe's expansion may change the Higgs boson vacuum expectation, affecting particle masses. Measuring the electron to proton mass ratio with atomic clocks can test fundamental physics and cosmology models.
Area of Science:
- Cosmology
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Chromodynamics
Background:
- The expansion of the universe influences fundamental physical constants.
- The Higgs boson's vacuum expectation value (VEV) is a key parameter in the Standard Model of particle physics.
- The masses of elementary particles are related to the Higgs VEV.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cosmological time evolution of the Higgs boson VEV.
- To explore the implications of a time-evolving Higgs VEV on particle masses.
- To propose a method for testing the Standard Model and cosmological models.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis within the Standard Model of particle physics.
- Consideration of the cosmological expansion's effect on the Higgs VEV.
- Utilizing precise measurements of the ratio of electron mass to proton mass (m_e/m_p) via atomic clocks.
Main Results:
- A time-evolving Higgs VEV leads to a time-evolving mass for fermions and electroweak gauge bosons.
- The Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) scale remains constant, implying m_e/m_p is sensitive to Higgs VEV evolution.
- Modern atomic clocks offer a precise tool to measure the cosmological evolution of m_e/m_p.
Conclusions:
- The cosmological time evolution of the Higgs VEV is a testable prediction of the Standard Model.
- Measuring the m_e/m_p ratio provides a novel way to probe fundamental physics and cosmology.
- Discrepancies in the measured ratio could indicate new physics beyond the Standard Model or issues with current cosmological models.
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