The Higgs Mechanism Explained | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios

What is the Higgs field and why is it a fundamental part of our universe?

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Quantum Field Theory is generally accepted as an accurate description of the subatomic universe. However until recently this theory had one giant hole in it. The particles it describes had no mass! The Higgs field and the Higgs mechanism were proposed long ago in order to give particles mass, but it was only in 2012 that the existence of the field was proved with the discovery of the Higgs boson by the Large Hadron Collider. In this episode of Space Time, we tell you exactly how the Higgs field can "give" something mass, which opens the door to a deeper understanding of what mass really is.
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Comments:

AFastidiousCuber

Casteverus

Gareth Dean

WR3ND

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Further Reading and Watching:

Leonard Susskind on the Higgs interaction:

Gravitational waves heating up a star:
McKernan et al. 2014

[BaSsGaZ]

This guy is an expert at the 'Calm down' gesture.

[noxabellus]

This is seriously the best channel on Youtube right now.

[laurachapple]

I'm watching this while knitting a sweater, so I've started thinking about how my sweater is just a sweater-shaped fluctuation in the quantum fields, and now my brain hurts.

[Alexander_Sannikov]

I like the style of your explanation when you never postulate questionable theories to be true, instead, you're saying that something like them has to be true in order to explain an observable phenomena. This subtle detail always catches my attention in a good way and this is something Veritasium does not have.

[icyDRFT]

This is probably one of the best science channels on the internet. Its information is easy to digest and understand, but yet it isn't patronising or overly dumbed-down.

Loving what you guys are doing, keep up the good work! :)

[didyouknowthat.channel]

I love that this guy does not waste any time in intros and disclaimers. He jumps in at the topic at the very first few seconds.

[mahtoosacks]

I've learned more from these 40+ episodes, than I ever did from the years of watching cable science shows with insufferable analogies. I never knew how truly awesome our universe was, until it was explained in these no-nonsense ways.

Thanks for making me feel dumb watching these, instead of smart watching those!

[dianagibbs]

Dr. O'Dowd, I am SO happy that you've continued to do this all this time, and that I've been able to follow this journey. It feels like in 2023 we're finally ~3/4ths of the way through you explaining all the fundamental quantum forces.

[kristapitchford]

4:58 If it hadn't been for Weak Hyper Charge Joe, my electrons would've flipped a long time ago, where did you come from, where did you go, where did you come from Weak Hyper Charge Joe

[edwardlee]

"You probably guessed: the Higgs Field."

No, no I did not.

[EnterShikariAVFC]

By far the most concise yet comprehensive explanation of the Higgs Boson that I've come across. Thank you for making quantum field theory accessible to those of us who aren't as scientifically gifted (we know who we are) :)

[thquark]

I'm not overweight; it's just that my body has a special affinity with the Higgs field.

[Lutranereis]

It's quite fitting we're talking about an energy field that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together on this week's Space Time.

[RodrigoBarbosaBR]

Wonderful video. As a physics layman (degree in electronics and now studying law), I can say it was simple enough for me to understand the explanation.
So yeah, one does need some basics, but the way it was explained was very educational and accessible.
Thank you.

[Mr.Nichan]

2:34
Note that this glosses over the distinction between chirality and helicity. Helicity is the direction of spin relative to motion, which depends on the motion of the observer relative to the electron. Chirality is a related fundamental property that "spinning" subatomic particles have, but which doesn't make sense in 3D Euclidean space (where only real numbers are concerned), which is part of why it gets glossed over so much. While helicity is fundamentally relative, chirality isn't; however, chirality of electrons does "change constantly" due to interactions with the Higgs field, which more accurately means that electrons are in a superposition of states between the two chiralities, since you can't ever know for sure how many times an electron changed between measurements (assuming you even can measure chirality; I'm no expert).

[EugeneKhutoryansky]

Very nice video about the Higgs field. Thanks for making it.

[caleblimb]

My heart leaps with joy every time a new Space Time episode has come out.
Edit: Is there a Patreon page or something to support this awesome content?

[SkepticalTeacher]

"mass is bound energy or confined energy"... If only my physics teacher had explained it like this twenty years ago!!

[BattousaiHBr]

this is SO FUCKING INTERESTING!!!!

holy shit, seriously, keep up the great job PBS channel. i swear i could watch these videos for hours on end and keep learning new things, and this is coming from someone who already spent way too much time in physics videos on youtube.

[nextabe]

Every ep I learn something, and I realize how much more that I don't know.