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The Added Mass Effect and the Higgs Mechanism

How Accelerated Bodies and Elementary Particles Can Gain Inertia

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Abstract

A rigid body accelerated through a frictionless fluid appears to gain mass. Swimmers, air bubbles, submarines and airships are slowed down by the associated 'added mass' force which is distinct from viscous drag and buoyancy. In particle physics, an otherwise massless electron, quark, W or Z boson, moving through the Higgs field acquires a mass. In this article, we introduce the fluid mechanical added mass effect through examples and use its analogy with the Higgs mechanism to intuitively explain how the carriers of the weak force (W and Z bosons) get their masses while leaving the photon massless.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank A. Thyagaraja for enlightening discussions on the added mass effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chennai Mathematical Institute, H1, SIPCOT IT Park Kelambakkam, Siruseri, Tamil Nadu, 603 103, India

    Govind S. Krishnaswami & Sachin Phatak

Authors
  1. Govind S. Krishnaswami
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  2. Sachin Phatak
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Correspondence to Govind S. Krishnaswami.

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Krishnaswami, G.S., Phatak, S. The Added Mass Effect and the Higgs Mechanism. Reson 25, 191–213 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-020-0936-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-020-0936-8

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