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The Discovery of the Higgs Boson: A Cornerstone of Modern Physics

  • Writer: Suhani Khanna
    Suhani Khanna
  • Mar 13
  • 9 min read

The discovery of the Higgs boson, often celebrated as the culmination of decades of theoretical and experimental physics, is more than just a triumph of scientific inquiry – it is a testament to humanity’s relentless pursuit of the invisible forces that shape our reality. Yet, beyond the accolades and Nobel Prizes, this discovery invites us to ponder an even deeper question: What does it mean to finally observe something that was, until recently, a mere ghost in the mathematical equations of the universe? In 1964, Peter Higgs, a physicist whose work fundamentally shaped our understanding of the universe, proposed a mechanism so elegant and essential that it almost seemed inevitable, and yet it took nearly half a century, and the construction of one of the most complex machines ever built by humans (the Large Hadron Collider), to confirm its existence. The Higgs boson, colloquially dubbed as the ‘God particle’, not only fills in a crucial gap in the Standard Model of particle physics, but it also challenges us to reconsider the boundaries between what is knowable and what remains shrouded in mystery. This essay will delve into the significance of the Higgs boson, exploring why its discovery was not just a milestone in physics, but a pivotal moment in our understanding of the universe itself – an understanding that continues to evolve as we push the limits of human knowledge. Bottom of Form

 

So, what exactly is the Higgs Boson? To illustrate this concept, CERN physicists Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb use the analogy of a cherry in a milkshake: in this scenario the cherry represents a particle moving through the Higgs field, while the milkshake represents the Higgs field itself, which was proposed in 1964 as a new kind of field that permeates the entire universe and imparts mass to all elementary particles. As the cherry moves through the milkshake, it interacts with the field and gains mass. Adding energy, such as by dropping the cherry into the milkshake, creates a splash, which in this analogy represents the Higgs boson. Particles that interact strongly with the Higgs field become heavy, while those that interact weakly remain light, thus explaining why if you drop a cherry into a milkshake with greater force, a greater splash is created. This reflects the principle that quantum mechanics teaches us: all particles are excitations of fields. Hence, an excitation of the Higgs field produces a Higgs boson (Barney and Goldfarb, 2013).

 

The Higgs boson’s discovery not only confirmed the existence of the Higgs field, but also highlighted the significance of this scientific breakthrough on a global scale. James Gillies, author of the book entitled ‘CERN and the Higgs Boson: The Global Quest for the Building Blocks of Reality’, offers a compelling perspective on this momentous event. As a former communications professional at CERN, Gillies was deeply involved in shaping the public narrative around the LHC and the Higgs boson. On the 15th of June, 2012, he received the exhilarating news of the Higgs particle’s discovery from his former colleague ‘Austin Ball’, who worked alongside Gillies on the OPAL experiment at CERN (Gillies, 2018). When I interviewed Gillies and asked him how his role as CERN's head of communications influenced his perspective on the global significance of the Higgs boson discovery, he replied that “In the early 2000s, [he] saw it as part of [his] job to leverage the opportunity of the LHC to raise awareness of, and enthusiasm for, basic research.” He describes the LHC project as “a showcase of what humans can do when they pull together, and a fantastic example of the power of human curiosity - everything that happens at CERN happens because human beings want to understand the universe they live in.” This human-centric view of the Higgs boson discovery, with its blend of scientific triumph, underscores how this ‘splash’ in the milkshake of our understanding has captivated and inspired people worldwide. Thus, whilst the predominant importance of the discovery of the Higgs boson is its confirmation of the Higgs field and enhanced understanding of the universe, it also motivates scientists in their pursuit of knowledge, fuelling their drive to explore new frontiers in physics and inspiring future generations to unravel further mysteries of the cosmos.

 

But where did the journey toward the Higgs boson truly begin? In 1964, Peter Higgs, along with François Englert and four other theorists, introduced a revolutionary concept to explain why certain particles possess mass. Higgs expanded on this idea in a subsequent paper, detailing the theoretical framework of the Higgs field. However, as recounted in the ‘Smithsonian magazine’, the paper was rejected, not due to any technical flaws, but rather because the premise of an invisible field pervading space and interacting with particles to provide their mass, just seemed like heaps of overwrought speculation (Smithsonian Magazine, 2013).

 

Many decades later, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) would become the epicenter of an international effort to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson. The journey from Higgs’ theoretical proposal to the experimental confirmation of the particle was not straightforward, as it required overcoming numerous technical and scientific challenges. The LHC, a massive particle accelerator located near Geneva in Switzerland, was constructed with the primary purpose of probing the fundamental particles of the universe, specifically to discover the Higgs boson. At the time of its construction, the LHC was he most powerful and complex machine ever built, capable of accelerating particles to close to the speed of light and colliding them with immense energy to create the conditions necessary to observe the elusive Higgs boson. (CERN, 2019)

 

However, as stated in James Gillies book, ‘CERN and the Higgs Boson: The Global Quest for the Building Blocks of Reality’, in 2008 a helium leak led to extensive damage to the machine, causing the LHC to suffer extensive damage, from which it would take a year to recover. Meanwhile, at Fermilab in the United States, the venerable Tevatron, another remarkable particle collider, was limbering up for one last push to discover the Higgs particle. But by the end of 2009, the LHC was back in the race, and by spring 2011, CERN and Fermilab combined their analyses to narrow down the range of masses it could have to 114-157 GeV, with a small window up at 185 GeV (Gillies, 2018). Throughout Gillies’ book, he emphasizes the importance of international collaboration in the context of the advancements of science. When I asked his opinion on it, he stated that “International collaboration is absolutely indispensable to the success of the field, and one of the great strengths of CERN. CERN is a great example of what humanity can achieve when we put aside our differences and focus on a common goal.” Therefore, whilst CERN and Fermilab were in competition to discover the Higgs particle, when they worked together they exemplified the power of collaboration in advancing scientific discovery. This spirit of international partnership not only underscores the collective effort behind the discovery of the Higgs boson, but also serves as a model for future scientific endeavours that transcend borders and unite researchers in the shared quest for knowledge.

 

Finally, on the 4th of July, 2012, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations announced the discovery of the Higgs particle in a packed auditorium at CERN. The image displayed on many newspapers worldwide was a picture of Peter Higgs wiping a tear from his eye as he learned that the idea he’d published half a century before had finally been shown to be right, despite its initial rejection (Gillies, 2018).


The image above depicts Peter Higgs wiping a tear from his eye at the CERN’s announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, a particle which he had proposed decades ago. (Physics World, 2012.)
The image above depicts Peter Higgs wiping a tear from his eye at the CERN’s announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson, a particle which he had proposed decades ago. (Physics World, 2012.)

 

So now that the Higgs boson has been discovered, could this lead to the refinement or even replacement of the Standard Model of particle physics? When interviewing Filippos Akylas Kaloudis, a first-year Physics with Theoretical Physics (MSci) student at Imperial College London, he explained that “the Standard Model in physics explains how the basic building blocks of matter (i.e. the fundamental particles) interact, governed by four fundamental forces.” He elaborated that “it encapsulates our best understanding of how fundamental particles and these forces are related to each other, with gravity not being adequately explained.” However, despite the Standard Model’s success, it had a significant gap: it could not explain how particles acquire mass. This gap was addressed by the Higgs mechanism, a theoretical framework proposed by Higgs and his contemporaries in 1964.

 

Kaloudis highlighted that the discovery of the Higgs boson initially reinforced the Standard Model by confirming its predictions about the Higgs mechanism, which grants mass to fundamental particles. This confirmation, he noted, was a crucial test for the model, filling a significant gap and enhancing confidence in its accuracy. However, he also pointed out that the Higgs boson could play a role in refining the Standard Model. “Studying its properties,” he said, “such as mass, spin, and interactions with other particles, could lead to adjustments or extensions of the current theory.” He emphasized that precision measurements of the Higgs boson could provide insights unresolved issues like electroweak symmetry breaking and possibly introduce new particles and symmetries. Regarding the potential for replacing the Standard Model, Kaloudis acknowledged that while some hoped that the Higgs boson might reveal signs of new physics such as supersymmetry or address the model’s limitations, its properties have largely matched the Standard Model predictions. This means that if new physics exists, it might be more subtle or at higher energy scales than initially expected. Thus, the Higgs boson’s discovery primarily reinforces the Standard Model, but also opens avenues for refining it and exploring new theoretical possibilities.

 

For example, when discussing how the discovery of the Higgs boson might influence our understanding of dark matter and dark energy, which remain largely mysterious in contemporary physics, both Gillies and Kaloudis offer responses which differ significantly in their focus and depth concerning the implications of studying the Higgs boson. Gillies’ response emphasizes the limitations of the Standard Model, stating that “physics beyond the Standard Model is needed because we know that the Standard Model only describes the visible part of the universe” and suggests that understanding the universe better could help address the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. In contrast, Kaloudis provides an analysis of how the Higgs boson might specifically interact with dark matter, proposing that the Higgs boson could act as a “portal” to dark matter and explain that interactions with dark matter particles might reveal new insights, stating that “if dark matter consists of particles that interact with the Higgs field, it is possible that the Higgs mechanism could also give mass to dark matter particles”. Kaloudis also explores the potential connections between the Higgs field and dark energy, suggesting that better understanding the Higgs boson could lead to new model of cosmic phenomena. Thus, while Gillies addresses the broader context of physics beyond the Standard Model, Kaloudis delves into specific theoretical and experimental implications related to dark matter and dark energy.

 

In exploring the cultural and historical impact of the Higgs boson, one encounters the intriguing moniker “the God Particle”, which has become widely associated with this fundamental particle. This term, originating from Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman’s book, was originally titled “The Goddamn Particle” due to Lederman’s frustration with the difficulties in detecting the elusive Higgs boson. However, his publishers changed the name to “The God Particle”, which often draws ire from religious communities (Sharma, 2024). Despite this, the term has stuck and become a popular way to refer to the Higgs boson in both media and public discourse. The Higgs boson, through its association with this provocative title, underscores the intersection of science and society, reflecting both the profound impact of scientific discoveries and the challenges they face in public perception. It is evident that this particle is not only a cornerstone of modern physics, but also a symbol of the ongoing dialogue between science and culture. Its discovery represents both a monumental scientific achievement and a reflection of humanity’s broader quest to understand the fundamental nature of reality.

 

As James Gillies stated: “Take a candle. Apply the finest brains on the planet to refining it, and you’ll get a better candle. What you won’t get is an electric light bulb. For that you need a curious scientist, intrigued by natural phenomenon who investigates it for no other reason than a desire to understand” (Gillies, 2018). Overall, the discovery of the Higgs boson can be likened to finding the hidden cherry in a grand, swirling milkshake of knowledge. Just as the cherry, once hidden beneath the surface reveals its presence when the milkshake is stirred, the Higgs boson emerged from decades of theoretical speculation and experimental effort, unveiling the crucial mechanism that gives particles their mass. As we reflect on this achievement, recognising it as both a culmination and a starting point, it sets the stage for future explorations that will continue to stir the vast, complex milkshakes of our cosmic understanding.


Written by Suhani Khanna

 

References:

Book:

  • Gillies, J. (2018). CERN and the Higgs Boson. Icon Books.

 

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