The Higgs boson: July 4, 2012

The physicist Peter Higgs came up with a possible explanation in the 1960s, which predicts the existence of the particle that now carries his name. Finding the Higgs boson is one of the primary aims of the Large Hadron Collider, a 27km long ring-shaped tunnel in which protons are made to collide at extremely high energies. The idea is that these particle collisions would produce the Higgs boson, if it does exist.

• Today's evidence shows that a new particle has indeed been discovered, but physicists won't rest easily until more analysis has confirmed it as the Higgs boson described by Higgs' theory or if it's a new exotic particle. "It's a bit like spotting a familiar face from afar," said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer. - http://plus.maths.org/content/higgs

- "For physicists, this is the equivalent of Columbus discovering America." Prof.  Themis Bowcock
-"This is the physics version of the discovery of DNA. It sets the course for a brand new adventure in our efforts to understand the fabric of our Universe.”  Prof. Sir Peter Knight

- "If there is no fundamental science then there is no basis for applied science. We have to strike a balance. 23 years ago the World Wide Web was born here. It has changed the world dramatically." Rolf Heuer

Ref.: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/large-hadron-collider/9374788/Higgs-Boson-announcement-from-Cern-as-it-happened.html

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