The standard model of particle physics is completed with the discovery of the Higgs boson. The primary force-carrying particle in the Higgs field, the Higgs boson, is what gives other particles their mass. The particle is named for Peter Higgs, who first postulated this field in the mid-1960s, along with his colleagues.
On July 4, 2012, scientists working at the world’s most potent particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), situated at the European particle physics laboratory CERN in Switzerland, made the particle’s discovery.
The standard model of particle physics, which provides the best explanation for the subatomic world, was completed with the confirmation of the Higgs field and the mechanism generating mass by the LHC.
By the close of the 20th century, breakthroughs in particle physics had provided answers to a number of issues concerning the fundamental components of nature. Even still, while scientists continued to add electrons, protons, bosons, and all varieties of quarks to the particle zoo, several urgent problems persisted in being unresolved. Why do some of these particles have mass?
This question drives the narrative of the Higgs boson.
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What is the Higgs Boson?
According to CERN, the Higgs boson is 130 times heavier than a proton, with a mass of 125 billion electron volts. In addition, it has zero spin and is chargeless, which is the quantum mechanical counterpart of angular momentum. The only elementary particle devoid of spin is the Higgs Boson.
One “force carrier” particle that enters the picture when particles interact with one another is a boson, which is transferred in the process. For instance, a photon, which is an electromagnetic field’s force-carrying particle, is exchanged when two electrons engage.
A boson can alternatively be thought of as a wave in a field since quantum field theory describes both the macroscopic world and the quantum fields that permeate the cosmos with wave mechanics.
Thus, the Higgs boson is the particle or “quantized manifestation” that emerges from the excited Higgs field, whereas a photon is a particle and a wave that develops from an excited electromagnetic field. Through its interactions with other particles and the Brout-Englert-Higgs process, which is carried by the Higgs boson, that field produces mass.
Why is Higgs Boson Called the ‘God Particle?’
The moniker “the God Particle” for the Higgs boson was cemented after it was discovered, primarily because of the mainstream media. The genesis of the term is commonly attributed to the exasperation of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman, who called the Higgs boson the “Goddamn Particle” because of how hard it was to detect.
According to Business Insider, Lederman intended for his book on the Higgs boson to be titled “The Goddamn Particle,” but the publishers altered it to “The God Particle” and drew an uncomfortable parallel with religion that still annoys physicists.
Nevertheless, since no particle would have mass without the Higgs boson and the Higgs field in general, it is difficult to overstate their significance. That implies that there are no planets, stars, or humans, which may contribute to the absurd moniker.
Why is the Higgs Boson Important?
The weak nuclear force, which converts protons into neutrons to determine the atomic disintegration of materials, and its force carriers, the W and Z bosons, were first studied using quantum field theory in 1964.
Since symmetry guarantees that a shape looks the same whether it is twisted or reversed, the weak force carriers should be massless. If they weren’t, this would violate a natural law that states that rules of nature remain the same regardless of how they are viewed. Predictions that were made with random particle masses likewise tended towards infinity.
However, scientists were aware that the weak force’s bosons had to have mass since it is so strong during short-range interactions—much stronger than gravity—but so weak during longer-range interactions. In order to “trick” nature into breaking symmetry on its own, Robert Brout, François Englert, and Peter Higgs proposed a new field in 1964.
This is like a pencil standing on its tip—a symmetrical system—suddenly tipping to point in a preferred direction, breaking its symmetry, according to a CERN article. According to Higgs and his partner physicist, the Higgs field was there in the cosmos at birth in a symmetrical but unstable state, much like in a pencil that is unsteadily balanced.
In a matter of fractions of a second, the field reaches a stable structure, but in the process, its symmetry is broken. The Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism is therefore generated, which supplies mass to the W and Z bosons.
Subsequently, it was found that the Higgs field not only gave mass to the W and Z bosons but also to numerous other basic particles. In the absence of the Higgs field and the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, the speed of light would be reached by all fundamental particles in the universe. Not only does this theory explain why particles have mass, but it also explains why their masses differ.
Greater masses are assigned to particles that interact — or “couple” — with the Higgs field more strongly. The interaction between the Higgs field and the Higgs boson itself provides the mass for the particle. Observing the disintegration of Higgs boson particles has confirmed this.
The fundamental unit of light, the photon, is one particle that the Higgs field does not endow with mass. This is due to the fact that spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs for W and Z bosons, two other force-carrying particles, but not for photons.
Furthermore, this phenomenon of mass-granting is limited to fundamental particles such as quarks and electrons. The binding energy that holds the constituents of particles like protons together gives them most of their mass.
All of this fits nicely with theory, but the next task was to find proof of the Higgs field by identifying the particle that carries its force. It wouldn’t be easy to accomplish this; in fact, the biggest experiment and most advanced machine in human history would be needed.
Thus, the quest for the Higgs boson has stretched the capabilities of particle accelerators and detectors, culminating in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
In the End
In conclusion, the discovery of the Higgs boson has revolutionized our understanding of the universe, confirming the existence of the Higgs field and providing crucial insights into the mechanism of mass generation. Its discovery marks a significant milestone in particle physics and opens new avenues for further exploration and discovery.
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