They correctly predicted a Nobel Prize winning discovery. And no one cared.
Sabine Hossenfelder
8 min, 27 sec
The overlooked story of how two physicists accurately predicted the mass of the Higgs boson, essential for quantum gravity, years before its discovery.
Summary
- Mikel Shaposhnikov and Kristoff Vish predicted the Higgs boson mass in 2009, which was essential for the advancement of quantum gravity.
- Their calculation fell within the window where quantum gravity works properly, predicting a mass of 126 GV ± 2.2.
- The actual measured value of the Higgs boson mass was 125.35 GV ± 0.15, validating their prediction.
- Despite the accurate prediction, the physics community largely ignored their work, favoring more exotic solutions to quantum gravity.
Chapter 1
Introducing the story of two physicists who made an accurate but ignored prediction about the Higgs boson mass.
- Two physicists predicted the mass of the Higgs boson before its discovery.
- The Higgs boson, as part of the Standard Model, was confirmed in 2012 at the LHC.
Chapter 2
Describing the role of the Higgs boson in particle physics and its significance for the Standard Model.
- The Higgs boson was the last particle to be discovered in the Standard Model.
- Physicists had a lower mass bound due to previous experiments and theoretical upper bounds.
Chapter 3
Connecting the Higgs boson's mass to the feasibility of quantum gravity theories.
- The mass of the Higgs boson affects the extrapolation to higher energies in quantum gravity.
- Shaposhnikov and Vish's prediction implied that quantum gravity could work with a mass of 126 GV ± 2.2.
Chapter 4
Analyzing the precision of the prediction and its lack of impact despite being correct.
- The prediction wasn't highly precise due to the difficulty of the calculation and uncertainties in particle masses.
- Despite the correct prediction, the scientific community didn't give it much attention.
Chapter 5
Discussing the history and theoretical progress in the field of quantum gravity.
- Asymptotically safe gravity emerged as a potential solution for quantum gravity.
- This theory suggests that quantum gravity's issues might not be as complex as previously thought.
Chapter 6
Concluding thoughts on the Higgs boson mass prediction and its implications for physics.
- The correct prediction of the Higgs boson mass suggests a simpler solution for quantum gravity may exist.
- Physicists perhaps prefer more exotic solutions over the straightforward extrapolation.
Chapter 7
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