So, if we can somehow manipulate the Higgs field or the Higgs boson, we can make something “massless” and travel at speed of light? Maybe even with zero time dilation since they have no mass to cause a gravitational field to slow down time?
While my understanding of quantum physics is better than the average high schooler, it is still very limited (I possess no mathematical understanding of the standard model whatsoever among many things). Hence, you can gauge the probability of the correctness of my answer. Considering this, here’s my answer:
We don’t know. We lack a lot of experimental data in quantum physics to answer this question.
- First, we have never observed a massless electron. Hence, we have no idea about what would happen if we could do as you said.
- Then, we have no experimentally proven theory of quantum gravity. We simply have no idea how gravity functions at the quantum level. Let’s say we make the rest mass of a massful particle zero by manipulating the Higgs field. What would happen to its gravitational mass? All of general relativity is based on the assumption that inertial mass = gravitational mass. This is called the principle of equivalence. However, we don’t know if this stays true at the quantum level. We don’t even know if the goddamn graviton exists or not.
So the answer is this: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is like asking if we could manipulate the gravitational field to make ourselves weightless on earth. Both are fundamentally impossible
Nothing is “impossible” in science. It’s difficult to experimentally prove negatives. Until we can experimentally prove something, we cannot pass any statements like these.
For manipulating the gravitational field, we don’t even have a theory of quantum gravity. There is no evidence suggesting that you cannot manipulate it. However, there is no evidence suggesting that you can either.
However, an absence of evidence for something does not mean that it cannot exist. It just means that we must not assume that it does exist.
You clearly don’t understand field theory and what a field actually is. You cannot manipulate a field to suddenly not exist or behave differently in a specific location, otherwise its not a field and would not be mathematically congruent with our existing observations. We have very much proved that you cannot manipulate fields.
Unless you feel like proposing a new model of physics that matches all of our existing observations and allows for your wacky nonsense, please stay quiet on the subject.
