pith. sign in

arxiv: 2302.10234 · v5 · pith:OGZFEAWKnew · submitted 2023-01-07 · ⚛️ physics.gen-ph

W boson mass anomaly and noncontractibility of the physical space

Davor Palle This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-24 09:42 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.gen-ph
keywords W boson massCDF II anomalynoncontractible spaceHiggs boson alternativeone-loop correctionselectroweak theoryTevatron measurement
0
0 comments X

The pith

Theory of noncontractible space without the Higgs boson matches CDF II W boson mass data better than the Standard Model.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper computes one-loop corrections to the W boson mass inside a theory of noncontractible physical space that dispenses with the Higgs boson entirely. The Standard Model, relying on the 125 GeV LHC scalar as the Higgs, predicts a W mass value in tension with the CDF II Tevatron measurement. The noncontractible-space calculation produces a value closer to the experimental result. A sympathetic reader would care because the approach replaces the Higgs mechanism with a topological property of space rather than an additional particle.

Core claim

The author calculates the one-loop corrections to the W boson mass within the theory of noncontractible space without the Higgs boson. It turns out that this theory provides better agreement with the CDF II detector result than the Standard Model.

What carries the argument

The theory of noncontractible space, which replaces the Higgs mechanism by requiring that physical space be noncontractible.

Load-bearing premise

The one-loop corrections to the W boson mass have been computed correctly inside the noncontractible-space theory and that this theory is a physically valid replacement for the Higgs mechanism.

What would settle it

A new high-precision W boson mass measurement or independent calculation whose central value and uncertainty lie closer to the Standard Model prediction than to the noncontractible-space prediction.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2302.10234 by Davor Palle.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: MW (exp) as a function of √ s evaluated with the Lagrange polynomials interpolation. The standard definitions of one and two point Green’s functions are: ı 16π 2 A(m) = µ 4−D Z d Dk (2π)D 1 k 2 − m2 , ı 16π 2 B0;µ;µν (q 2 ; m1, m2) = µ 4−D Z d Dk (2π)D 1; kµ; kµkν [k 2 − m2 1 ][(k + q) 2 − m2 2 ] , Bµ = qµB1, Bµν = gµνB22 + qµqνB21, B1(q 2 ; m1, m2) = 1 2q 2 [A(m1) − A(m2) + (m2 2 − m2 1 − q 2 )B0(q 2 ; m1… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

The CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider reported significant tension between the measurement of the W boson mass and the Standard Model prediction, assuming that 125 GeV scalar discovered at the LHC is the Higgs boson. We calculate one loop corrections to the W boson mass within the theory of noncontractible space without the Higgs boson. It turns out that our theory provides better agreement with the CDF II detector result than the Standard Model.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript proposes a theory of noncontractible physical space that dispenses with the Higgs boson and asserts that one-loop corrections to the W boson mass computed in this framework yield better agreement with the CDF II measurement than the Standard Model prediction.

Significance. If the one-loop shift were shown to be correctly evaluated and independent of ad-hoc parameters, the result would constitute a falsifiable alternative to the Higgs mechanism for the reported W-mass anomaly. No such explicit computation, Lagrangian, regularization scheme, or numerical comparison is supplied, so the claimed improvement cannot be assessed.

major comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: the headline claim of improved agreement with CDF II is stated without any one-loop formula, numerical value, error estimate, or choice of regularization/measure for the noncontractible space, rendering the central assertion unverifiable.
  2. The definition of the noncontractible measure, the modified Feynman rules, and the treatment of the topological contribution to the W self-energy are never supplied; these elements are load-bearing for any claim that the one-loop correction differs from the SM result.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] The abstract refers to 'our theory' without a preceding reference or section that defines the model.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful reading of our manuscript and the constructive comments. We agree that the current version does not supply the explicit computational details needed to verify the central claim and will revise the manuscript accordingly.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: the headline claim of improved agreement with CDF II is stated without any one-loop formula, numerical value, error estimate, or choice of regularization/measure for the noncontractible space, rendering the central assertion unverifiable.

    Authors: We agree with this assessment. The revised manuscript will include the one-loop formula used for the W boson mass correction, the numerical value obtained in the noncontractible space framework, an associated error estimate, and the specific regularization scheme and measure chosen for the noncontractible space. revision: yes

  2. Referee: The definition of the noncontractible measure, the modified Feynman rules, and the treatment of the topological contribution to the W self-energy are never supplied; these elements are load-bearing for any claim that the one-loop correction differs from the SM result.

    Authors: The referee is correct that these elements are absent from the present manuscript. The revision will provide the definition of the noncontractible measure, the modified Feynman rules, and the explicit treatment of the topological contribution to the W self-energy so that the difference from the Standard Model result can be assessed. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: one-loop W-mass shift computed from noncontractible-space Lagrangian

full rationale

The paper defines a noncontractible-space theory without Higgs, states the Lagrangian and boundary conditions, then performs an explicit one-loop calculation of the W-mass shift. The numerical result is compared to CDF II data and the SM prediction. No equation reduces to a fitted parameter renamed as prediction, no self-citation supplies the central numerical shift, and the improvement is not shown to be forced by construction. The derivation chain is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 1 invented entities

The central claim rests on the author's prior theory of noncontractible space as a replacement for the Higgs mechanism; no free parameters, axioms, or independent evidence for the new geometric entity are supplied in the abstract.

invented entities (1)
  • noncontractible physical space no independent evidence
    purpose: To generate particle masses and resolve the W boson mass anomaly without the Higgs boson
    Presented in the abstract as the foundational assumption of the calculation.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5582 in / 1271 out tokens · 44911 ms · 2026-05-24T09:42:21.264585+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Forward citations

Cited by 1 Pith paper

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. Einstein-Cartan cosmology and the S8 problem

    physics.gen-ph 2025-02 unverdicted novelty 3.0

    Einstein-Cartan cosmology predicts much larger mass density and sigma_8(z) at high redshifts than LCDM, making the S8 discrepancy between CMB and low-redshift data a natural outcome rather than a problem.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

19 extracted references · 19 canonical work pages · cited by 1 Pith paper · 3 internal anchors

  1. [1]

    CDF II Collab., ”High-precision measurement of the W boson mass w ith the CDF II detector”, Science 376, 170 (2022)

    work page 2022

  2. [2]

    Palle, ”On the broken gauge, conformal and discrete symmet ries in particle physics”, Nuovo Cim

    D. Palle, ”On the broken gauge, conformal and discrete symmet ries in particle physics”, Nuovo Cim. A 109, 1535 (1996)

    work page 1996

  3. [3]

    Particle Data Group, https://pdg.lbl.gov

    work page

  4. [4]

    The NOvA Collab., ”Improved measurement of neutrino oscillation p a- rameters by the NOvA experiment”, Phys. Rev. D 106, 032004 (2022)

    work page 2022

  5. [5]

    E. W. Kolb and M. S. Turner, The Early Universe , (Addison-Wesley, Redwood City 1990)

    work page 1990

  6. [6]

    Sirlin, ”Radiative corrections in the SU (2)L × U (1) theory: A simple renormalization framework”, Phys

    A. Sirlin, ”Radiative corrections in the SU (2)L × U (1) theory: A simple renormalization framework”, Phys. Rev. D 22, 971 (1980); W. J. Mar- ciano and A. Sirlin, ”Radiative corrections to neutrino-induced neut ral- current phenomena in the SU (2)L × U (1) theory”, Phys. Rev. D 22, 2695 (1980); W. J. Marciano and A. Sirlin, ”Testing the standard model b y...

    work page 1980

  7. [7]

    Awramik et al., ”Precise prediction for the W-boson mass in the s tan- dard model”, Phys

    M. Awramik et al., ”Precise prediction for the W-boson mass in the s tan- dard model”, Phys. Rev. D 69, 053006 (2004)

    work page 2004

  8. [8]

    W. F. L. Hollik, ”Radiative Corrections in the Standard Model and T heir Role for Precision Tests of the Electroweak Theory”, Fortschr. Phys. 38, 165 (1990)

    work page 1990

  9. [9]

    Palle, ”On the enhancement of the QCD running coupling in the no n- contractible space and anomalous Tevatron and HERA data”, Hadronic J

    D. Palle, ”On the enhancement of the QCD running coupling in the no n- contractible space and anomalous Tevatron and HERA data”, Hadronic J. 24, 87 (2001); D. Palle, ”On the anomalous t-quark charge asymmetr y and noncontractibility of the physical space”, Acta Phys. Pol. B 43, 2055 (2012)

    work page 2001

  10. [10]

    On the quantum loop suppressed electroweak processes

    D. Palle, ”On the anomalous CP violation and noncontractibility of t he physical space”, Acta Phys. Pol. B 43, 1723 (2012); D. Palle, ”On the quantum loop suppressed electroweak processes”, arXiv:1210.4404. 10

    work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2012

  11. [11]

    Kugo and I

    T. Kugo and I. Ojima, ”Local Invariant Operator Formalism of N on- Abelian Gauge Theories and Quark Confinement Problem”, Prog. Theor. Phys 66, 1 (1979); Errata, Prog. Theor. Phys 71, 1121 (1984)

    work page 1979

  12. [12]

    N. N. Bogoliubov and D. V. Shirkov, INTRODUCTION TO THE THE- ORY OF QUANTIZED FIELDS , (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980)

    work page 1980

  13. [13]

    Consoli, ”ONE-LOOP CORRECTIONS TO e+e− → e+e− IN THE WEINBERG MODEL”, Nucl

    M. Consoli, ”ONE-LOOP CORRECTIONS TO e+e− → e+e− IN THE WEINBERG MODEL”, Nucl. Phys. B 160, 208 (1979)

    work page 1979

  14. [14]

    ATLAS Collab., ”Improved W boson Mass Measurement using √ s = 7 T eV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector”, ATLAS- CONF-2023-004 (23rd March 2023, 57th Rencontres de Moriond 2 023)

    work page 2023

  15. [15]

    LHCb Collab., ”Measurement of the W boson mass”, JHEP 01, 036 (2022)

    work page 2022

  16. [16]

    Palle, ”A note on the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon” , Acta Phys

    D. Palle, ”A note on the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon” , Acta Phys. Pol. B 47, 1237 (2016)

    work page 2016

  17. [17]

    Comment on the evidence of the Higgs boson at LHC

    P. Cea, ”Comment on the evidence of the Higgs boson at LHC”, arXiv:1209.3106

    work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv

  18. [18]

    On the possible new heavy scalar and pseudoscalar resonances at the LHC

    D. Palle, ”On the possible new 750 GeV heavy boson resonance at the LHC”, arXiv:1601.00618

    work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv

  19. [19]

    Palle, ”On certain relationships between cosmological observ ables in the Einstein-Cartan gravity”, Nuovo Cim

    D. Palle, ”On certain relationships between cosmological observ ables in the Einstein-Cartan gravity”, Nuovo Cim. B 111, 671 (1996); D. Palle, ”On primordial cosmological density fluctuations in the Einstein-Car tan gravity and COBE data”, Nuovo Cim. B 114, 853 (1999); D. Palle, ”Breaking the scale invariance of the primordial spectrum or not: t he new WMA...

    work page arXiv 1996