Summary
One quantum field is special because its default value can change. Dialing the Higgs field value up or down would increase or decrease the mass of electrons and other particles.
The curve that represents the energy required for different settings of the Higgs field was always known to resemble a sombrero with an upturned brim. But subtle quantum corrections can change the shape of the curve.
Physicists estimate the chances of vacuum decay in different ways. According to these estimates, a cubic gigaparsec of space will see vacuum decay once every 10794 years. Only 1010 years have passed so far since the Big Bang.
