In modern physics, a particle is regarded as the quantum excitation
of a field. Then, where does the mass of a particle come from? According to the
Standard Model, a particle acquires mass through its interaction with the Higgs
field. The rest mass of a free particle is essentially identified from the
Klein-Gordon equation (through its associated Lagrangian density). Recently it
was reported 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. 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.
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