Abstract : |
This work focused on one question: Where does the rest mass of a particle come from? In modern physics, a particle is regarded as the quantum excitation of a field. Then, how can a particle have a rest mass? According to the Standard Model, a particle acquires mass through its interaction with a hypothetical Higgs field. The rest mass is essentially identified from the Klein- Gordon equation of a free particle (through its associated Lagrangian density). It was reported recently that a key feature of this theory (i.e., prediction of Higgs boson) is supported by experiments conducted at LHC. Nevertheless, there are still many questions about the Higgs model. Particularly, the physical meaning of the rest mass m based on the Higgs mechanism would be intrinsically different from energy E or momentum p. This does not seem to be very satisfactory. In this paper, we would like to explore a different approach based on more classical concepts. We think mass should be treated on the same footing as momentum and energy, and the definition of mass should be strictly based on its association with the momentum. By postulating that all particles in nature (including fermions and bosons) are excitation waves of the vacuum medium, we propose a simple wave equation for a free particle. We find that the rest mass of the particle is associated with a “transverse wave number”, and the Klein-Gordon equation can be derived from the general wave equation if one considers only the longitudinal component of the excitation wave. Implications of this model and its comparison with the Higgs model are discussed in this work. |
Biography : |
Prof. Chang obtained a Bachelor degree from the National Taiwan University and Master and Doctoral degrees (in physics) from Rice University in the USA. He served as Assistant Professor and Associated Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics of Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas, USA). In 1991, he joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as a founding faculty member. He was appointed Professor and later Chair Professor. He is currently serving as Adjunct Professor in the Division of Life Science in HKUST.
Prof. Chang was the founding President of the Hong Kong Biophysical Society. He was also the Vice President of Hong Kong Institution of Science (HKIS), Council Member of the Asian Biophysical Association, Associated editor of an international journal Biophysics, and a Corporate Member of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (USA). Prof. Chang was elected a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Science in 2009.
Prof. Chang has very broad research interests, including molecular biophysics and biotechnology, spin-echo NMR, and foundation of quantum physics. He has published two books and over 100 papers in international journals, including Nature, Science, PNAS and Biophys J. He also obtained over twenty international patents for his inventions.
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