Reinterpretation of the Higgs mechanism: the decay and fission of “magnetic quivers” could clarify quantum structures

A simple concept of decay and fission of “magnetic quivers” helps clarify complex quantum physics and mathematical structures.

An international research team led by Marcus Sperling, project leader at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna, has attracted the interest of the scientific community with pioneering results in quantum physics. In their current study, the researchers reinterpret the Higgs mechanism, which gives mass to elementary particles and triggers phase transitions, using the concept of magnetic quivers.

The work is published in Physical Examination Letters.

The foundation of Sperling’s research, which lies at the intersection of physics and mathematics, is quantum field theory (QFT), a physical-mathematical concept of quantum physics focused on the description of particles and their interactions at the subatomic level.

Since 2018, he has developed with his colleagues the so-called magnetic quivers, a graphical tool that summarizes all the information necessary to define a QFT, thus clearly and intuitively displaying the complex interactions between particle fields or d other physical quantities.

Metaphorical magnetic quiver

A quiver consists of directed arrows and knots. Arrows represent quantum fields (matter fields), while nodes represent interactions (e.g. strong, weak or electromagnetic) between fields. The direction of the arrows indicates how the fields are charged during interactions, for example what electrical charge the particles carry.

Sperling explains: “The term ‘magnetic’ is also used metaphorically here to refer to the unexpected quantum properties that are made visible by these representations. Similar to the spin of an electron, which can be detected across a magnetic field, magnetic quivers reveal certain properties or structures in QFTs that may not be obvious at first glance.

Thus, they provide a convenient way to visualize and analyze complex quantum phenomena, thereby facilitating new insights into the underlying mechanisms of the quantum world.

Supersymmetric QFTs

For the present study, stable ground states (vacua) – the lowest energy configuration in which no particles or excitations are present – ​​in a variety of “supersymmetric QFTs” were explored. These QFTs, with their simplified space-time symmetry, serve as a laboratory environment because they resemble real physical systems of subatomic particles but have certain mathematical properties that facilitate calculations.

Sperling said: “Our research addresses the fundamentals of our understanding of physics. Only after we understand QFTs in our laboratory environment can we apply this knowledge to more realistic QFT models.

The concept of magnetic quivers, one of the main research topics of Sperling’s START project at the University of Vienna, was used as a tool to provide a precise geometric description of the new quantum vacuum.

Disintegration and fission: the Higgs mechanism reinterpreted

Thanks to calculations based on linear algebra, researchers Antoine Bourget (Université Paris Saclay), Marcus Sperling and Zhenghao Zhong (University of Oxford) demonstrated that, like the radioactivity of atomic nuclei, a magnetic quiver can disintegrate into a more stable state or fission into a more stable state. two separate quivers. These transformations provide new understanding of the Higgs mechanism in QFTs, which decay into simpler QFTs or split into separate, independent QFTs.

Sperling said: “The Higgs mechanism explains how elementary particles acquire their mass by interacting with the Higgs field, which permeates the entire universe. Particles interact with this field as they move through space, like a swimmer moving through water. »

A particle that has no mass generally moves at the speed of light. However, when it interacts with the Higgs field, it “sticks” to this field and becomes slow, leading to the manifestation of its mass. The Higgs mechanism is therefore a crucial concept for understanding the building blocks and fundamental forces of the universe.

Mathematically, the “decay and fission” algorithm is based on the principles of linear algebra and a clear definition of stability. It operates autonomously and requires no external input. The results obtained using methods inspired by physics are not only relevant in physics but also in mathematical research: they offer a fundamental and universally valid description of the complex and intertwined structures of the quantum vacuum, which represents a significant advance in mathematics.