Physicists measure joint polarization of carriers of the weak force

In the Standard Model of particle physics, the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism provides mass to elementary particles. While physicists are carrying out direct studies of the Higgs boson to test this mechanism, probes of other particles that have mass can also provide insight. For instance, the W and Z bosons—the carriers of the weak force—get their mass from the Higgs mechanism. This impacts their polarization, that is, the degree by which their quantum spin is aligned to a given direction. The W and Z bosons have a spin of 1 and can be longitudinally polarized as a direct consequence of their being massive—in other words, their spin can be oriented perpendicular to their direction of motion.