Higgs boson and standard model

[TouK]

This topic seems so awsome to me although i understand nearly nothing! I understand that such things are difficult to comprehend but if there is someone who understands why higgs boson is so important or what do we mean when we say that it gives mass to things and more then please help me understand them too!

[timo]

I almost thought that was a single sentence, but then I spotted the litte exclamation mark hidden in your wall of text.

 

The main importance of the Higgs Boson is that its possible (and in retrospect successful) discovery is the only solid argument for getting funding for the LHC. What most people mean by "it gives mass to things" is "I heard somewhere that it gives mass to things, so I repeat that here". What particle physicists mean by that if you assume a background field (the Higgs field) of constant value (which is believed to be a sensible approximation for many scenarios), then the mathematical expressions for the interaction of known elementary particles with this constant background field look like the mathematical expressions commonly called "mass terms". More importantly, they not only look like that but can actually have the same effects (provided some freely chosen parameters are chosen suitably ...). Ironically, the Higgs Boson represents some fluctuations around this constant background, i.e. it is the part of the story that is not responsible for mass-like mathematical expressions. But explaining this doesn't fit into a single headline, where, depending on font size, only "Higgs Boson causes mass" may fit.

 

No offense meant by being cynical.

[TouK]

Thank you!