So there it is... physicists have discovered the Higgs boson

Like it? Share it!

So there it is… physicists have discovered the Higgs boson

In a big announcement earlier this morning, scientists at CERN in Switzerland have announced that with 99.9999% certainty, they’ve found the once-elusive Higgs boson. This is a huge deal, not only because it’s one of the last pieces of the Standard Model puzzle, but the Higgs is theoretically what gives everything its mass. Without the Higgs, there could be no physical universe.

Fabiola Gianotti, from the ATLAS experiment, explains:

“We observe in our data clear signs of a new particle, at the level of 5 sigma, in the mass region around 126 GeV. The outstanding performance of the LHC and ATLAS and the huge efforts of many people have brought us to this exciting stage, but a little more time is needed to prepare these results for publication.

In English? The 5 sigma measurement means that the scientists can be 99.9999 percent sure that the measurements are a result of the particle in question. However, they want to check a few things before they publish their data formally in an academic journal. Similarly, Joe Incandela from the CMS experiments is cautiously confident:

“The results are preliminary but the 5 sigma signal at around 125 GeV we’re seeing is dramatic. This is indeed a new particle. We know it must be a boson and it’s the heaviest boson ever found. The implications are very significant and it is precisely for this reason that we must be extremely diligent in all of our studies and cross-checks.”

In simple language, then, two experiments at the LHC— CMS and ATLAS—have discovered a new boson, and it behaves like the Standard Model Higgs. That is enough to have Peter Higgs, the man after which the boson is named, excited:

“I am astounded at the amazing speed with which these results have emerged. They are a testament to the expertise of the researchers and the elaborate technologies in place… I never expected this to happen in my lifetime and shall be asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge.”

So what is the Higgs boson? Here’s a helpful video, submitted by BabaBlksheep that explains: