Peter Higgs explained how coupling a broken-symmetry scalar theory to gauge fields changes the physical particle spectrum. In his 1964 model, a massless scalar degree of freedom supplies the longitudinal mode of a massive gauge boson; another scalar excitation remains. Thus the massless-particle conclusion of the Goldstone theorem does not apply unchanged to the gauged system. This Higgs mechanism connects the vacuum's field configuration with measurable particle masses and an additional scalar particle.[ref]
Broken Symmetries and the Masses of Gauge Bosons by Peter Higgs. 1964, opening and scalar/vector model: longitudinal gauge mode and surviving scalar excitation
A physicist who investigated the Higgs mechanism.[ref]
Professional profile of Peter Higgs (ph.ed.ac.uk). Independent professional identity
Portrait of Peter Higgs
. Bengt Nyman, photograph; JB Hoang Tam, existing portrait crop. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source.
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Peter Higgs is a British theoretical physicist best known for his work on the field of particle physics, particularly for his proposal of the mechanism that explains how particles acquire mass. This theoretical framework is known as the Higgs mechanism, which is a key component of the Standard Model of particle physics. Higgs proposed the existence of a field, now called the Higgs field, and a corresponding particle, later named the Higgs boson.
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