Particle physics field excited by potential Higgs boson discovery (+video)
Physicists around the world are thrilled at Wednesdays announcement of the discovery of a Higgs boson-like particle, which could complete the Standard Model of particle physics.
Physicists are thrilled at today's (July 4) announcement of the discovery of a new elementary particle that is likely the Higgs boson, an elusive particle thought to give all other matter its mass.
"To me it's really an incredible thing that it's happened in my lifetime," Peter Higgs, the leader of the group that first theorized the particle in 1964 and after whom the particle is named, said during a press conference Wednesday (July 4).
Evidence for the new particle was reported today by scientists from the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Researchers reported they'd seen a particle weighing roughly 125 times the mass of the proton, with a level of certainty that all but seals the deal it's the Higgs boson. The Higgs represents the last undiscovered particle predicted by the Standard Model, the reigning theory of particle physics.
Physicists involved in two experiments called CMS and ATLAS taking place at the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), reported evidence of the particle at a seminar and press briefing today.
