Scientists Announce Evidence of ‘God Particle’
In a press conference on July 4, scientists announced the discovery of a new particle containing properties “consistent” with the elusive Higgs boson.
The particle was discovered at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, where work on the Large Hadron Collider has been going on for several years.
“We have now found the missing cornerstone of particle physics,” Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), told scientists.
The discovery of the Higgs boson is a significant one for the field of physics. The Standard Model is the name for the basic model used by physicists to explain the workings of the universe. However, much of the model remains untested.
This document provided by European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on December 13, 2011 in Geneva shows a graphic showing traces of two high-energy photons measured in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experience. US-based physicists reported on July 3, 2012 finding strong hints of the Higgs boson, the elusive “God particle” believed to give objects mass, but said European data is needed to confirm any potential discovery.If physicists can confirm the existence of the Higgs boson, the last missing piece in the standard model of physics, the announcement would rank among the most important scientific breakthroughs of the last century. The final findings from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in the midwestern US state of Illinois will be followed by the announcement of more definitive results from a potent European atom-smasher on July 4. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / CERN
“As a layman, I think we did it,” he told the elated crowd. “We have a discovery. We have observed a new particle that is consistent with a Higgs boson.”
The Higgs boson, if indeed it does exist, would account for the existence of mass.
While optimistic about the accuracy of their findings, scientists stress that further testing is needed to confirm the discovery.
“This boson is a very profound thing we have found,” he said. “We’re reaching into the fabric of the universe in a way we never have done before. We’ve kind of completed one particle’s story … now, we’re way out on the edge of exploration.”
