Origin of the quark mass hierarchy

Determine the origin of the significant mass differences among the six quark flavors (u, d, s, c, b, t) within the Standard Model, identifying the underlying mechanism responsible for their mass hierarchy.

Background

The article concludes by noting that six quark flavors have been discovered and that they fit quantitatively within QCD. Despite this success, their masses span orders of magnitude, and the reason for this pattern is not explained.

The author explicitly states that these significant mass differences are not yet understood, marking the quark mass hierarchy as an unresolved question in particle physics.

References

They exhibit significant mass differences that are not yet understood.

— How quarks made their entrance into our worldview via cosmic rays and proton accelerators (2401.07046 - Engelen, 13 Jan 2024) in Section "Quarks as 'static' building blocks versus quarks as dynamical particles" (closing paragraphs)