Physics Encyclopedia Entry 1781006707
Summary: This entry is about the Higgs Boson, a fundamental particle in the Standard Model of particle physics, discovered in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Overview
The Higgs Boson, named after physicist Peter Higgs, is an elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. It is responsible for giving other particles mass, a concept that was first proposed by Peter Higgs and François Englert in 1964. The Higgs Boson is a scalar boson, a type of particle that carries a fundamental force of nature, in this case, the Higgs field. The Higgs field is a field that permeates all of space and is responsible for giving mass to fundamental particles that interact with it.
The discovery of the Higgs Boson was a major milestone in the history of particle physics, confirming the existence of the Higgs field and providing strong evidence for the Standard Model. The Higgs Boson is a key component of the Standard Model, which describes the behavior of fundamental particles and forces in the universe.
History/Background
The concept of the Higgs Boson was first proposed by Peter Higgs and François Englert in 1964, as a way to explain how fundamental particles acquire mass. The idea was that a field, now known as the Higgs field, permeates all of space and interacts with fundamental particles, giving them mass. The Higgs Boson is the quanta of this field, a particle that carries the energy of the Higgs field.
The search for the Higgs Boson began in the 1980s, with the construction of the Large Electron-Positron Collider (LEP) at CERN. However, the LEP was not powerful enough to detect the Higgs Boson, and the search was continued at the Tevatron at Fermilab. The Tevatron was also not powerful enough to detect the Higgs Boson, and the search was continued at the LHC, which was completed in 2008.
Key Information
The Higgs Boson was discovered on July 4, 2012, at the LHC by a team of physicists working on the ATLAS and CMS experiments. The discovery was announced on July 4, 2012, by Joe Incandela, the spokesperson for the CMS experiment, and Fabiola Gianotti, the spokesperson for the ATLAS experiment.
The Higgs Boson has a mass of approximately 125 GeV, which is about 133 times the mass of a proton. The Higgs Boson is a scalar boson, which means that it has zero spin and interacts with fundamental particles through the Higgs field.
The discovery of the Higgs Boson has confirmed the existence of the Higgs field and provided strong evidence for the Standard Model. The Higgs Boson is a key component of the Standard Model, which describes the behavior of fundamental particles and forces in the universe.
Significance
The discovery of the Higgs Boson has significant implications for our understanding of the universe. It confirms the existence of the Higgs field, which is responsible for giving mass to fundamental particles. The Higgs Boson is a key component of the Standard Model, which describes the behavior of fundamental particles and forces in the universe.
The discovery of the Higgs Boson has also opened up new areas of research, including the study of the Higgs sector, which is the part of the Standard Model that describes the behavior of the Higgs field. The study of the Higgs sector is expected to provide new insights into the fundamental laws of physics and the behavior of fundamental particles.
INFOBOX:
- Name: Higgs Boson
- Type: Elementary particle
- Date: July 4, 2012
- Location: Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN
- Known For: Discovery of the Higgs Boson, confirmation of the Higgs field, and evidence for the Standard Model
TAGS: Higgs Boson, Standard Model, Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Particle Physics, Fundamental Particles, Higgs Field, Scalar Boson, Elementary Particle.
