Triumph at Cern as Large Hadron Collider scientists announce

discovery of Higgs boson 'God particle'

Steve Connor
Wednesday 04 July 2012
Scientists have made the crucial breakthroughs that have allowed them
to announce the discovery of a new subatomic particle that could be the
final piece in the jigsaw explaining why all matter throughout the
Universe - from the smallest atom to the largest star - has mass.
The discovery of the new sub-atomic particle is consistent with the socalled Higgs boson that was postulated half a century ago by the retired
British physicist Peter Higgs, 83, who was in the audience at a packed
conference in Geneva this morning where the announcement was made.
Researchers from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research
(Cern) said that two of its experiments attached to the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) machine had independently confirmed the existence of
the new sub-atomic particle with a mass of about 125.5 GeV, which is
about 133 times heavier than the proton at the heart of every atom.
Although the data just falls just short of absolute confirmation that the
new particle is indeed the Higgs, the scientists were in little doubt that
what they had found was a sub-atomic entity that fits its description, as
predicted by the Standard Model theory of physics which brings
together the disparate forces of nature.
As a layman, I would say that I think we have it. Do you agree? said
Rolf Dieter Heuer, the director general of Cern, at the end of the two
presentations by scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider.
The rapturous applause that met his hypothetical question said it all.
We have a discovery. We have observed a new particle consistent with
a Higgs Bosonbut which one, it remains open, Dr Heuer said.
Further work would be necessary to elucidate the precise
characteristics of the new sub-atomic particle, he said.
Discovering the Higgs Boson would be one of the greatest milestones in
science given that the sub-atomic particle can explain why some
particles have mass, but others, such as photons of light, do not.
Theoretical physicists believe that Higgs particles permeate the

Universe creating an invisible force field that causes other particles of

matter to have mass.
One physicist famously called it the God particle because of its
central role in theoretical physics although Professor Higgs and his
younger colleagues at Cern despise the term and its religious
undertones.
Joe Incandela of Cernss CMS experiment explained the technical
details that led his team to the conclusion that the Higgs may have been
sighted. We are seeing something and it is relatively significantwe
have a new boson, he said with the understatement of a scientist
working to confidence levels of greater than 99.999 per cent.
Fabiola Gianotti of the Atlas experiment at Cern echoed the conclusions
of her colleagues working on the CMS saying that the data show a clear
blip around the 125.5 GeV range, which is consistent with the Standard
Model prediction of what the Higgs should look like.
It would be very nice for the Standard Model for the Higgs to be at
that mass. We all have to be proud of these results. They open a door to
a very bright future, she concluded at the end of her presentation.
Professor John Womersley, chief executive of Science and Technology
Facilities Research Council, which channels UK funds to Cern, said he
was delighted with the discovery of a new particle consistent with the
Higgs boson.
These results mark a significant breakthrough in our understanding of
the fundamental laws that govern the Universe, Professor Womersley
said.
Obviously having found a new particle, there is still much, much more
to do at the LHC we need to confirm that this new particle is the
reason some particles have tangible mass while others are
insubstantial, he said.
David Willetts, the science minister, said: Our researchers, universities
and industry partners have been instrumental in making the Large
Hadron Collider such a success. They deserve recognition for their
contribution to this scientific milestone that will change the way we
look at the universe from now on. And of course Professor Higgs of
Edinburgh University has now secured his place in history.
Professor Peter Higgs of the University of Edinburgh has welcomed
results from Cern today that give the strongest evidence yet of the

existence of the Higgs boson, a theoretical physical particle that was

first postulated by Prof Higgs in the 1960s:
Scientists at Cern are to be congratulated on todays results, which are
a great achievement for the Large Hadron Collider and other
experiments leading up to this.
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.
Steve Connor is The Independent's Science Editor

Hadron collider set for triumph bigger than Higgs boson

An upgrade will allow the particle accelerator to work at even
higher energies than were used for the discovery of the Higgs
boson
Steve Connor
Sunday 15 February 2015
A sub-atomic particle even more stunning that the Higgs boson could be
discovered this year according to scientists working on the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern.
The particle accelerator, which has been shut for maintenance, will
restart this spring following an upgrade that will allow it to work at
even higher energies than were used for the discovery of the Higgs
boson, a fundamental sub-atomic particle that accounts for
gravitational attraction.
Cern scientists said that the higher energies mean they stand a good
chance of discovering supersymmetry, the sub-atomic particles that are
symmetrical twins of the particles that form the basis of matter.
The first supersymmetry particle is likely to be something called a
gluino, the symmetric twin of a gluon particle. If the discovery is made
it would represent a milestone in the search for the so-called dark
matter of the Universe, which cannot be seen but is felt by its
gravitational force.
It could be as early as this year. Summer may be a bit hard but late
summer maybe, if were really lucky, said Professor Beate Heinemann
of the University of California at Berkeley, who works on the the Atlas
experiment, one of the large particle detectors attached to the Large
Hadron Collider. This would rock the world... For me, its more exciting
than the Higgs, she told reporters at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in San Jose.
Much of the Universe is composed of invisible dark matter. Scientists
believe it consists of sub-atomic particles that have so far defied
detection, and are excited about the possibility of discovering a missing
universe of sub-atomic particles if the theoretical prediction of
supersymmetry is confirmed by experiments.

We know that there is more than meets the eye. Just 5 per cent [of the
Universe] is visible, with rest being Dark Matter and Dark Energy, she
said.