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Could false vacuum decay end the Universe without warning?

Original: Could false vacuum decay end the Universe without warning? If the Higgs field is metastable, quantum tunneling could in

Physicists are revisiting the idea that the Higgs field may be metastable, meaning the vacuum we live in is not the lowest possible energy state. In theory, quantum tunneling could trigger a bubble of true vacuum expanding at near light speed, erasing everything instantly. Researchers stress this is serious theoretical physics grounded in the Standard Model, not a forecast of imminent doom, and the timescales involved are astronomically long.

Why now: The mind-bending scenario of the Universe ending without warning captures attention whenever the metastability of the Higgs field is discussed.

Higgs fieldfalse vacuum decayStandard Modelthe Universe

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• Could false vacuum decay end the Universe without warning? If the Higgs field is metastable, quantum tunneling could in principle create a lower-energy vacuum bubble expanding near light speed. It is serious theoretical physics — not a prediction of imminent doom. https://www.… · nexthorizon · 4

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