HIGGS BOSON - so called "GOD'S PARTICLE"

one possible signature of Higgs Boson

Have you guys been familiar with the latest discovery by the CERN scientists about a "proposed elementary particle" in the standard model of particle physics, called HIGGS BOSON-named after  Peter Higgs who proposed  such a particle some few years ago. The existence of the Higgs boson and the associated Higgs field can be the simplest of several methods to explain the reason behind why  other elementary particles have mass - which is yet 'unsolved'  . This theory suggests that an unseen field covers all of space and this field has a non-zero value everywhere and other elementary particles then obtain mass when they interact with it. The Higgs boson,the smallest possible excitation of this field,is predicted to exist by the same theory and so it has been the target of a long research in particle physics.

According to the Standard Model, the Higgs particle is a boson, a type of particle that allows multiple identical particles to exist in the same place in the same quantum state. It has no intrinsic spin, no electric charge, and  it is also very unstable, decaying into other particles almost immediately after its creation. If the Higgs boson were shown not to exist, other "Higgsless" models would be considered.

Statements from the scientists:

• "We observe in our data clear signs of a new particle, at the level of 5 sigma, in the mass region around 126 GeV. The outstanding performance of the LHC and ATLAS and the huge efforts of many people have brought us to this exciting stage but we need a little more time is needed to prepare these results for publication.”                                
  1.  - ATLAS experiment spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti

• "The results are preliminary but the 5 sigma signal at around 125 GeV we’re seeing is dramatic. This is indeed a new particle. We know it must be a boson and it’s the heaviest boson ever found . The implications are very significant and it is precisely for this reason that we must be extremely diligent in all of our studies and cross-checks."                                                      -CMS experiment spokesperson Joe Incandela

• “It’s hard not to get excited by these results,We stated last year that in 2012 we would either find a new Higgs-like particle or exclude the existence of the Standard Model Higgs. With all the necessary caution, it looks to me that we are at a branching point: the observation of this new particle indicates the path for the future towards a more detailed understanding of what we’re seeing in the data.”-CERN Research Director Sergio Bertolucci.

• “We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature,The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle’s properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our universe.”     -CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.

THE NICKNAME AND ITS MEDIA HYPE:

The Higgs boson is often referred to as the "God particle" by media and this unique name is famous all over internet and T.V.( this name is given after the title of Leon Lederman's   book on particle physics, The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? ).While use of this term  have increased media interest, many scientists dislike it, since it  overstates the particle's importance. Its discovery would still leave unanswered questions about the and gravity as well as the ultimate origin of the universe. Higgs, an atheist himself, is displeased that the Higgs particle is nicknamed the "God particle".

 Lederman said he gave it this name because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive".

A renaming competition conducted by the science correspondent for the British Guardian newspaper chose the name "the champagne bottle boson" as the best from among their submissions: "The bottom of a champagne bottle is in the shape of the Higgs potential and is often used as an illustration in physics lectures. So it's not an embarrassing name, it is memorable, and  has some physics connection too."

So, what next?

The next step will be to determine the precise nature of the particle and its significance for our understanding of the universe. Are its properties as expected for the long-sought Higgs boson, the final missing ingredient in the Standard Model of particle physics? Or is it something more exotic? The Standard Model describes the fundamental particles from which we, and every visible thing in the universe, are made, and the forces acting between them. All the matter that we can see, however, appears to be no more than about 4% of the total. A more exotic version of the Higgs particle could be a bridge to understanding the 96% of the universe that remains obscure.

-CERN PRESS RELEASE

more on this later...