Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
- Current theories suggest that W and Z bosons acquire mass from interactions with the Higgs scalar field, but a new study suggests that the higher dimensional structure of spacetime could be the actual cause.
- This complicated and unseen structure of spacetime could potentially explain some of the outstanding questions about the accelerating expansion of the universe.
- This new theory suggests that, if its true, future experiments should find a particle related to spacetime torsion called the “torstone.”
Accepted scientific understanding is that particles like W and Z bosons (carriers of the weak nuclear force) derive their mass from interactions with the Higgs scalar field—an invisible field permeating the entire universe that lies at the very foundation of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. This is a well-explored theory of how mass arises in the universe, but some still consider the idea of a universal field to be an “ad hoc” assumption.
Case in point is a new study—led by Richard Pinčák from the Institute of Experimental Physics Slovak Academy of Sciences—which argues that the very geometry of spacetime plays a bigger role in the forces and particles in the universe, rather than acting as an inert backdrop. Specifically, Pinčák and his team suggest that hidden dimensionality of spacetime creates what are called G2-manifolds that, when allowed to evolve over time (known as a G2-Ricci flow), could provide explanations for some of physics’ biggest questions. The results of the study were published in the journal Nuclear Physics B.
“As in organic systems, such as the twisting of DNA or the handedness of amino acids, these extra-dimensional structures can possess torsion, a kind of intrinsic twist,” Pinčák said in a press statement. “When we let them evolve in time, we find that they can settle into stable configurations called solitons. These solitons could provide a purely geometric explanation of phenomena such as spontaneous symmetry breaking.”
Apart from this explanation for broken symmetry, the big challenge to conventional physics is the idea that this hidden geometry of spacetime could apply to masses typically described by the Higgs scalar field. Instead of relying on a field, these masses would arise from torsion within this extra-dimensional geometry.
“In our picture matter emerges from the resistance of geometry itself, not from an external field.” Pinčák said in a press statement. “Nature often prefers simple solutions. Perhaps the masses of the W and Z bosons come not from the famous Higgs field, but directly from the geometry of seven-dimensional space.”
This theoretical explanation could also help explain some of the outstanding questions about the accelerating expansion of the universe. The team explains the possible existence of a particle known as the “torstone,” which would be linked to torsion that could be detected in future experience—if this theory proves out.
Of course, that’s a pretty big if. With the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, the idea of a Higgs scalar field is a strong theory in the standard model. And as with every incredible theoretical idea, this new proposal requires equally incredible evidence. Luckily, scientists are developing ever more-sensitive detectors for probing these very questions. But until scientists can glimpse some semblance of a “torstone,” or other piece pointing to the complicated interaction between higher-dimensional space time and mass, this idea will remain just that—an idea.
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.