Wüthrich, Adrian (2012) Eating Goldstone bosons in a phase transition: A critical review of Lyre's analysis of the Higgs mechanism. [Preprint]
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Abstract
In this note, I briefly review Lyre’s (2008) analysis and interpretation of the Higgs mechanism. Contrary to Lyre, I maintain that, on the proper understanding of the term, the Higgs mechanism refers to a physical process in the course of which gauge bosons acquire a mass. Since also Lyre’s worries about imaginary masses can be dismissed, a realistic interpretation of the Higgs mechanism seems viable. While it may remain an open empirical question whether the Higgs mechanism did actually occur in the early history of the universe and what the details of the mechanism are, I claim that the term can certainly refer to a physical process.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in the Journal for General Philosophy of Science | ||||||
| Keywords: | gauge transformations, Higgs mechanism, representation, symmetry | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory |
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| Depositing User: | Adrian Wüthrich | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 27 Oct 2012 17:44 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 25 Nov 2023 16:08 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 9384 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory |
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| Date: | 9 August 2012 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9384 |
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Eating Goldstone bosons in a phase transition: A critical review of Lyre's analysis of the Higgs mechanism. (deposited 01 Aug 2010)
- Eating Goldstone bosons in a phase transition: A critical review of Lyre's analysis of the Higgs mechanism. (deposited 27 Oct 2012 17:44) [Currently Displayed]
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