The particle that was predicted 58 years ago, the Higgs boson was the missing piece from the Standard Model of particle physics. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) succeeded in proving its existence only 10 years ago at the CERN particle physics laboratory near Geneva.
The initial idea was proposed by two Belgians, François Englert and Robert Prout, but the small particle was discovered by Peter Higgs for the first time. Wrote In 1964, at the time, it was just a guess, and then it was forgotten for years. Over time, it turned out that the particle and the associated Higgs field are responsible for ensuring the mass of all other particles, and therefore the structure of galaxies, stars and planets became understood, that is, the Higgs boson is the largest particle physicist in the world. 20th century gravityhad become
Biggest Misfortune: The Nobel Prize
Then we had to wait until July 4, 2012 for CERN Researchers to confirm the prediction made by Higgs in the age of rhythm. But the scientist was not entirely happy with the evidence, because with this and the Nobel Prize he received the following year, he suddenly became the center of the press and the spotlight, which his shy character did not receive well. When the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics (which he shared with Englert) were announced on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, Higgs honestly ran away from his home in Edinburgh to a pub so that the prize committee and the press could not accidentally catch up.
Peter Higgs appears to be at least as mysterious as the particle he found. once said
The discovery of the Higgs boson destroyed my life.
Which may be strange to an outside observer, as it is a huge invention, it has been proven, and for it won the highest awards and honours. But it’s true that Higgs’ introverted personality and ivory zodiac sign was very curious about the hype.
He once said bitterly:
That was the only original idea I had.
Yes, but how many of you can say you had an idea that was pretty cool? Higgs is really special in the world of physics (also) in that he only had one big discovery – but what a big one. He spent two or three years trying to understand the problem, and then, thanks to luck, opportunity, and of course his genius, he found the answer.
How did you react when your prediction came true after 50 years?
He never expected to be found in his life, his first reaction was relief and happiness, but that only lasted a moment – then he panicked, knowing his life was about to change forever.
Why was the Higgs discovery so important?
The Higgs field is a space that determines the mass of the moving particles and which is temporarily distorted around the particles moving in it. This distortion represents the mass of the particle. The Higgs field is ubiquitous, stabilizing and filling the universe. The Higgs boson and the Higgs field are similar to photons and the electromagnetic field.
After all, the Higgs field “only” explains the structure of the universe, which is why it’s a huge discovery, and that’s why retired university professor Peter Higgs, 93, has forever made his name known.
(Cover Photo: Peter Higgs on July 4, 2012. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)
