The Nobel Prize for physics in 2013 has been awarded to two scientists, British and French, for their seminal work in particle physics. Peter Higgs and Francois Englert devised a mechanism in 1964 to understand how particles acquire mass. Their contribution forms the cornerstone of modern particle physics.
Almost 50 years ago in 1964, Englert and Robert Brout, who died in 2011, and Peter Higgs independently published their work in the span of a few days. They had described a mechanism making use of what was known about particle physics at that time to try to answer a perplexing problem. How do particles acquire mass?
Higgs and Englert hypothesised a quantum field, which is a distribution of energy, throughout the universe. It is a field with special properties. When the field is disturbed, waves travel through it. The dimmest possible wave is called a particle. In this field, since called a Higgs field, the associated particle is called the Higgs boson.
For physicists, finding the Higgs boson meant that the Higgs field exists. And because of the Higgs field and its properties, any fundamental particles that wade through it cause Higgs bosons to clump around the particles. This clumping causes the particle to acquire energy and, therefore, mass.
The existence of the Higgs boson was confirmed at the Large Hadron Collider, near Geneva, Switzerland, over the last year. On July 4, 2012, first hints of the boson's existence were spotted at the collider. Ever since, a series of tests on the particle have yielded confirmation.
Apart from Peter Higgs, Francois Englert and Robert Brout, other people who contributed significantly to the concept of a Higgs mechanism include Tom Kibble from the UK and Robert Guralnick from the USA.
As of writing this article: The Nobel Committee, in a curious break from tradition, were unable to reach Dr. Peter Higgs and inform him of his selection for the prize. Instead, they have "emailed him".
Almost 50 years ago in 1964, Englert and Robert Brout, who died in 2011, and Peter Higgs independently published their work in the span of a few days. They had described a mechanism making use of what was known about particle physics at that time to try to answer a perplexing problem. How do particles acquire mass?
Higgs and Englert hypothesised a quantum field, which is a distribution of energy, throughout the universe. It is a field with special properties. When the field is disturbed, waves travel through it. The dimmest possible wave is called a particle. In this field, since called a Higgs field, the associated particle is called the Higgs boson.
For physicists, finding the Higgs boson meant that the Higgs field exists. And because of the Higgs field and its properties, any fundamental particles that wade through it cause Higgs bosons to clump around the particles. This clumping causes the particle to acquire energy and, therefore, mass.
The existence of the Higgs boson was confirmed at the Large Hadron Collider, near Geneva, Switzerland, over the last year. On July 4, 2012, first hints of the boson's existence were spotted at the collider. Ever since, a series of tests on the particle have yielded confirmation.
Apart from Peter Higgs, Francois Englert and Robert Brout, other people who contributed significantly to the concept of a Higgs mechanism include Tom Kibble from the UK and Robert Guralnick from the USA.
As of writing this article: The Nobel Committee, in a curious break from tradition, were unable to reach Dr. Peter Higgs and inform him of his selection for the prize. Instead, they have "emailed him".
Credits: thehindu
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