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RE: Tackling new phenomena with gravitational waves, dark matter, antimatter and the Higgs boson
Thanks for another really great article.
This is not on-topic but this is a good chance to ask.
If Higgs particles are what are responsible for mass, then they must be abundant in around a black hole singularity. Yet a singularity by definition approaches zero space. How could those Higgs bosons be accommodated? Actually, I'd think that they'd be gobbled up by the singularity. If no Higgs bosons, then no mass, hence no gravity, hence no black hole to begin with.
Head spins.
Or has this question been asked many times already by aspiring students?
Thanks for passing by and asking questions. I am always happy to answer, even if it is far from the topic (if I know the answer of course).
What is going on at the microscopic level is different from what is going on at the macroscopic one. The Higgs boson is responsible for the particle masses in the sense of it is a remnant of the mechanism yielding these particle masses.
However, all those masses are so small that gravity is negligible. And therefore, the elementary particles do not interact with macroscopic black holes gravitationally. In contrast, black holes can emit elementary objects (Hawking radiation).
If we want to move to the macroscopic level. let's start by building neutron and protons from the elementary quarks and gluons. It turns out that the largest part (>99%) of the neutron and proton masses comes from something else than their elementary constituents: the binding energy related to the strong force field. Therefore, not related at all to the Higgs boson.
I hope I answer your question clearly. Otherwise please come back to me.