--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Higgs field originated as the…" description: "\"“The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang-a bit like the crystallization of ice as water cools down. We have already a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg" --- # The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down… ![“The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang-a bit like the crystallization of ice as water cools down. We have already argued that just as ice crystals form an ordered structure, so does the effect of the Higgs field-with the difference that this happens not in…” quote by Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg) > ““The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang-a bit like the crystallization of ice as water cools down. We have already argued that just as ice crystals form an ordered structure, so does the effect of the Higgs field-with the difference that this happens not in geometric space but in the abstract space of elementary particle properties. We know that water molecules drop down into the ordered structure of ice, releasing energy in the process. The most important difference between this notion and that of the ordering by means of the Higgs field seems to be this: The positive energy contribution associated with the field's very existence is more than canceled by the negative energy associated with the structure it causes to emerge. Consequently, a space pervaded by the Higgs field has a lower energy content than a space in its absence. This means that the Higgs field can spontaneously emerge from empty space, just as ice can spontaneously emerge from water if the temperature is low enough-that is, if the thermal motion that tends to oppose the ordering is weak enough. In the case of ice in water, the critical temperature is 0 degrees Celsius; for the Higgs field, it is 10^15 degrees. When the decreasing temperature cossed this critical mark some 10^-10 seconds after the Big Bang, the Higgs field emerged. It has pervaded the universe ever since, and all masses in the universe owe their existence to the ordering it has caused in the process of the cooling down of the universe.”” [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Higgs field emerged as the universe cooled, similar to ice forming, lowering the vacuum energy and giving particles mass. **In simple terms:** Higgs field formed when the universe cooled, like ice, giving particles mass. Key Takeaway Understand how symmetry breaking creates mass. Themes physics cosmology symmetry breaking energy fields Mood educational scientific analytical Type scientific explanatory When to use this quote - theoretical research - educational videos - science communication Key Concepts particle physics early universe energy dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does symmetry breaking shape reality? - What analogies help grasp abstract concepts? A Different Perspective Complex physics may be oversimplified for lay audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big bang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-bang/) [Empty space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-space/) [Negative energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-energy/) [Positive energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-energy/) ## Related quotes > [“The energy that was hidden in the false vacuum is liberated in the course of this phase transition of the universe into the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-energy-that-was-hidden-in-the-false-vacuum-is-liberated-in-the/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“We can now infer that at this initial cooldown of the universe across the critical temperature of 10^15 degrees, a mini planetary system might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/we-can-now-infer-that-at-this-initial-cooldown-of-the-universe-across/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [It shouldn't be a Higgs field. If it's anybody's, it should be Goldstone field, I think. When Nambu wrote his short paper in 1960,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/it-shouldn-t-be-a-higgs-field-if-it-s-anybody-s-it-should-be/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [It is very important to always hold the thought of an enlightened teacher in your mind in a very positive way. When you direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-very-important-to-always-hold-the-thought-of-an-enlightened/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I grew up in low-income areas and I've seen people take negative energy and just accept it. They give into and end up living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/i-grew-up-in-low-income-areas-and-i-ve-seen-people-take-negative/) [LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/) > [HATE has 4 letters, But so does LOVE. Enemies has 7 letters, But so does FRIENDS. LYING has 5 letters, But so does TRUTH.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/hate-has-4-letters-but-so-does-love-enemies-has-7-letters-but-so-does/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I can't pay mind to the negative energy, because I'd just be giving more power to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-pay-mind-to-the-negative-energy-because-i-d-just-be-giving/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of the time, excuses are made out of pure laziness. For people who are constantly making excuses...the negative energy it takes to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-the-time-excuses-are-made-out-of-pure-laziness-for-people-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The reason why I speak my mind, and the reason why I get aggressive is because I believe that when negative energy is directed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-saporta/the-reason-why-i-speak-my-mind-and-the-reason-why-i-get-aggressive-is/) [Gabe Saporta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-saporta/) > [I have a specific set of, I have a specific sort of negative energies to deal with that might be specific to me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lennon/i-have-a-specific-set-of-i-have-a-specific-sort-of-negative-energies/) [Sean Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lennon/) > [The older I get the more I try not to waste my time on negative energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-try-not-to-waste-my-time-on-negative-energy/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [It would take a civilization far more advanced than ours, unbelievably advanced, to begin to manipulate negative energy to create gateways to the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/it-would-take-a-civilization-far-more-advanced-than-ours-unbelievably/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Who do you think of first in the morning? Good manipulators do it in the dream plane. The morning practice of meditation increases the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/who-do-you-think-of-first-in-the-morning-good-manipulators-do-it-in/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More by Henning Genz > [“Recall our discussion of the pendulum. Its position at a given instant does not fix its subsequent behavior. Suppose a photograph shows the pendulum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/recall-our-discussion-of-the-pendulum-its-position-at-a-given-instant/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“Just as with sound waves, light waves emitted by a moving source show the Doppler effect. What we observe instead of the sound pitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/just-as-with-sound-waves-light-waves-emitted-by-a-moving-source-show/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“The interpretation of apparent long-distance action by means of continuously propagating effects was vigorously asserted by Isaac Newton. In his wake, the interpretation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-interpretation-of-apparent-long-distance-action-by-means-of/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“The quantity that physicists call the specific heat of a substance is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-quantity-that-physicists-call-the-specific-heat-of-a-substance-is/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“To gain any intuitive understanding of the breakdown of this ultimate symmetry through vacuum effects at the critical 10^-44 seconds after the Big Bang,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/to-gain-any-intuitive-understanding-of-the-breakdown-of-this-ultimate/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“To illustrate this relation, think of a game of table tennis. As the ball hits the table, it will bounce up and down. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/to-illustrate-this-relation-think-of-a-game-of-table-tennis-as-the/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“Before the particles that we observe today materialized, all matter in the early universe must have gone through this stage of a quark-gluon soup,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/before-the-particles-that-we-observe-today-materialized-all-matter-in/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“In physics terms, the reason for symmetry breaking is the instability of the symmetric state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/in-physics-terms-the-reason-for-symmetry-breaking-is-the-instability/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“What really transcends our understanding is the mechanism that permits these oscillations of abstract field quantities to carry energy. We know this is true;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/what-really-transcends-our-understanding-is-the-mechanism-that/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“Chaotic or disordered distributions are symmetrical on the average. An observer cannot conclude anything about his location from looking around him. An example is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/chaotic-or-disordered-distributions-are-symmetrical-on-the-average-an/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“The hotter a substance, the faster and the less ordered its molecular motion, and the larger the momentum with which molecules collide. Above 0…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-hotter-a-substance-the-faster-and-the-less-ordered-its-molecular/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“This elementary process is symbolically illustrated in figure 59c: A photon becomes an electron-positron pair; inversely, an electron and a positron can combine into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/this-elementary-process-is-symbolically-illustrated-in-figure-59c-a/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“John Maddox, the editor of the British journal Nature, had immediately suggested that the minister should be told that the Higgs boson can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/john-maddox-the-editor-of-the-british-journal-nature-had-immediately/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“At first glance, it may appear odd that the black hole loses mass upon absorbing another mass-that of the electron. Actually, this seeming paradox…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/at-first-glance-it-may-appear-odd-that-the-black-hole-loses-mass-upon/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [“We can now infer that at this initial cooldown of the universe across the critical temperature of 10^15 degrees, a mini planetary system might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/we-can-now-infer-that-at-this-initial-cooldown-of-the-universe-across/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) [Explore all 109 Henning Genz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) ## More Big bang quotes > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [ Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, the guys who run that show \[Big Bang Theory\], are really funny and really smart, and the cast is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/bill-prady-and-chuck-lorre-the-guys-who-run-that-show-big-bang-theory/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“The Creation of the World or Omniverse is the Creation or Recreation of the Absolute itself through the two poles, two “sides” of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-creation-of-the-world-or-omniverse-is-the-creation-or-recreation/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [All that stuff I was taught about evolution, embryology, Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. It's lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/all-that-stuff-i-was-taught-about-evolution-embryology-big-bang/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [For example, if the big bang had been one-part-in-a billion more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies to form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/for-example-if-the-big-bang-had-been-one-part-in-a-billion-more/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [God created... light anddark, heaven and hell-science claims the same thing as religion, that the Big Bang createdeverything in the universe with an opposite."Including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/god-created-light-anddark-heaven-and-hell-science-claims-the-same/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Scientists estimate the universe unfolded from its state of infinite destiny\* - a moment commonly referred to as "the big bang" - approximately 1.3-2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/scientists-estimate-the-universe-unfolded-from-its-state-of-infinite/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [Chemistry seems to be pretty much nailed down, and biology gains ground all the time. But physics seems to be mired in idle rumination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hardy/chemistry-seems-to-be-pretty-much-nailed-down-and-biology-gains/) [Jeremy Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hardy/) > [The big bang made the foundations for the 1st atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/the-big-bang-made-the-foundations-for-the-1st-atoms/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [“Only three of the naturally occurring elements were manufactured in the big bang. The rest were forged in the high-temperature hearts and explosive remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/only-three-of-the-naturally-occurring-elements-were-manufactured-in/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [A proponent of the big bang theory, at least if he is an atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-john-patrick-kenny/a-proponent-of-the-big-bang-theory-at-least-if-he-is-an-atheist-must/) Anthony John Patrick Kenny > [“Science is a human construct. Scientific laws are as valid as our understanding at any particular moment. Scientific laws are not absolute. Scientific laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/science-is-a-human-construct-scientific-laws-are-as-valid-as-our/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) [Browse all 442 Big bang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-bang/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang-a bit like the crystallization of ice as water cools down. We have already argued that just as ice crystals form an ordered structure, so does the effect of the Higgs field-with the difference that this happens not in geometric space but in the abstract space of elementary particle properties. We know that water molecules drop down into the ordered structure of ice, releasing energy in the process. The most important difference between this notion and that of the ordering by means of the Higgs field seems to be this: The positive energy contribution associated with the field's very existence is more than canceled by the negative energy associated with the structure it causes to emerge. Consequently, a space pervaded by the Higgs field has a lower energy content than a space in its absence. This means that the Higgs field can spontaneously emerge from empty space, just as ice can spontaneously emerge from water if the temperature is low enough-that is, if the thermal motion that tends to oppose the ordering is weak enough. In the case of ice in water, the critical temperature is 0 degrees Celsius; for the Higgs field, it is 10^15 degrees. When the decreasing temperature cossed this critical mark some 10^-10 seconds after the Big Bang, the Higgs field emerged. It has pervaded the universe ever since, and all masses in the universe owe their existence to the ordering it has caused in the process of the cooling down of the universe.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henning Genz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-universe-cooled-down-after-the-big/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big bang" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-universe-cooled-down-after-the-big/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/henning-genz-4557_big-bang_the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-univer_2187206.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Higgs field originated as the universe cooled down after the Big Bang-a bit like the crystallization of…” — Henning Genz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henning Genz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The Higgs field originated as the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-universe-cooled-down-after-the-big/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/the-higgs-field-originated-as-the-universe-cooled-down-after-the-big/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```