Epstein Secrets

o the End of Time 293 tical to what was predicted. This caused incredible excitement in both theoretical and observational communities. Along with Frank Wilczek, I wrote a paper that not only pointed out that such an observation would indicate a symmetry-breaking scale that corresponded nicely to the Grand

l and observational communities. Along with Frank Wilczek, I wrote a paper that not only pointed out that

be correct. Things got more interesting when the LHC reported a tantalizing pos- sible signal due to a new particle about six times heavier than the Higgs particle. This particle did not have the characteristics one would expect for any supersymmetric partner of ordinary matter. In general the most e

ible scalar fields in nature. What about the Standard Model Higgs field? Could it play a role in all of these current cosmic shenanigans? Could the Higgs field store energy and be responsible for inflation either in the early universe or now? Could the Higgs field not be in its final ground state, an

r than light, ulti- mately disappearing from our horizon, leaving the universe cold, dark, and largely empty—the future that may result because of a Higgs field with a mass its times the mass of the proton could be far worse. For a Higgs mass coinciding with the allowed range of the observed 2P_Gleal

.0708. [9] A. De Simone. M. P. Hertzberg. and F. Wilczek. Phys.Lett. B678. 1 (2009). arXiv:0812.4946. [1

S. R. Coleman and E. J. Weinberg, Phys.Rev. D7. 1888 (1973). [50] D. I. Kaiser. Phys.Rev. D81.084044 (2010), arXiv:1003.1159. 151] L. M. Krauss and E Wilczek. Phys.Rev. D89. 047501 (2014). arXiv:1309.5343. [52] B. M. Kastening. Phys.Lett. 11283, 287 (1992). [53] M. Bando. T Kugo, N. Maekawa. and H. Naka

t be high, Via Az 2 x 101° GeV. Higgs Inflation generally predicts a small amplitude of tensor perturbations. and therefore it is natural to ask if Higgs Inflation might accommodate this new measurement. We find the answer is essentially no. unless one considers either extreme fine tuning. or possibly

well-known vacuum stability problem of the Standard Model [26). Successful HI requires an O(2o) deviation from central values toward either larger Higgs boson mass or smaller top quark mass. Gauge dependence enters the calculation at two places: ex- plicitly in the one-loop correction to the effectiv

for all sensible quantum field theories, except for Yang-Mills-type gauge theories. Gross now took on a new graduate student, twenty-one-year-old Frank Wilczek, who had come to Princeton from the University of Chi- cago planning to study mathematics, but who switched to physics after taking Gross's graduate

her lucky or astute because he served as the graduate supervisor of probably the two most remarkable intellects among physi- cists in my generation, Wilczek and Edward Witten, who helped lead the string theory revolution in the 198os and '9os and who is the only physicist ever to win the prestigious Fie

s would leave only the photon left over as a massless gauge boson. But there's more. By virtue of the gauge symmetry he introduced, Weinberg's new Higgs particle would also interact with electrons, and when the condensate formed, the effect would be to give electrons a mass as well as the W and Z pa

a revolutionary. But reluctant revolutionary he was, although, due to some shortsighted journal editors, he almost didn't get the chance. In 1960 Higgs had just taken up his post and had been asked to serve on the committee that coordinated the first Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics.

S. R. Coleman and E. J. Weinberg, Phys.Rev. D7, 1888 (1973). 50] D. I. Kaiser. Phys.Rev. D81, 084044 (2010), arXiv:1003.1159. 51] L. M. Krauss and F Wilczek, Phys.Rev. D89. 047501 (2014), arXiv:1309.5343. 52] B. M. Kastening. Phys.Lett. B283. 287 (1992). 53] M. Bando. T. Kugo, N. Maekawa. and H. Nakano

t be high. lint x 2 x 1016 GeV. Higgs Inflation generally predicts a small amplitude of tensor perturbations. and therefore it is natural to ask if Higgs Inflation might accommodate this new measurement. We find the answer is essentially no, unless one considers either extreme fine tuning. or possibly

well-known vacuum stability problem of the Standard Model [26]. Successful HI requires an O(2e) deviation from central values toward either larger Higgs boson mass or smaller top quark mass. Gauge dependence enters the calculation at two places: ex- plicitly in the one-loop correction to the effectiv

tly used by modern physicists to establish deep relationships between physical quantities. I just used it last year, for example, with my colleague Frank Wilczek, to demonstrate a fundamental property of gravity relevant to understanding the creation of our universe. Each contribution on its own would have f

last year, for example, with my colleague Frank Wilczek, to demonstrate a fundamental property of gravit

, author of Just Six Numbers "It is an exhilarating experience to be led through this fascinating story, from Galileo to the Standard Model and the Higgs boson and beyond, with lucid detail and insight, illuminating vividly not only the achieve- ments themselves but also the joy of creative thought an