Science Friday: The Higgs Boson

In our last Science Friday blog, we covered the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and looked into how it works and why it’s important to science. We briefly touched on the Higgs boson and we’ll cover it more in-depth in today’s post. As it’s witnessed in science exploration, a ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber is critical to progressing our understanding of the universe!

At HyVac, we manufacture USA-made vacuum parts and vacuum fittings to assist UHV chambers to perform optimally. Our vacuum parts are constructed of appropriate metal that meets and exceeds industry standards and are effective for multiple use. Now for more on the Higgs boson!

The Higgs boson was discovered in 2012 as a result of experiments (ATLAS and CMS) at the CERN facility conducted in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The Nobel Prize was awarded to Francois Englert and Peter Higgs for their contributions to subatomic particles and how we understand their origin and mass. Before we can understand the Higgs boson particle, let’s examine the Standard Model.

The Standard Model

The Standard Models is a component of particle physics that helps us understands the world around us and how it’s composed. It reduces the often complex science behind our universe and puts it into basic building blocks in 12 different particles. It expands a little further because the particles and matter that inhabit our universe, contain forces that act upon them. In addition to the 12 particles (six quarks and six leptons), there are four forces, such as electromagnetic force. The Standard Model gets a bit more complex, so read more about in-depth on CERN’s website.

While the Standard Model works well to explain our current understanding of particle physics, it still leaves room to question what dark matter is and how to quantifiably explain it. Some reassuring news is that the LHC just came out of its winter hibernation and can now be used to spawn experiments that delve deeper into our universe and give us more pieces to its puzzle.

The Higgs Boson

The Standard Model theoretically explains and gives particles their masses, and this is termed the Higgs field, and the particle associated with it is the Higgs boson. Previous to its discovery, the Higgs boson was only hypothetical and one of the main parts of particle physics was to indeed prove or disprove the Higgs boson.

Scientists began working on finding the Higgs boson by experiments in the LHC that accelerate charged particles close to the speed of light, that allows the particles to divide into their most elemental parts.

Soon scientists would be able to observe the Higgs boson by creating a high collision energy that drives it into an energy state where it would decay, thus becoming observable.

If you can recall the time when the Higgs boson was in its infancy, many were concerned that the energy being created was enough for planetary destruction, while others thought it would open new worlds and dimensions. A lot of mystery surrounded the initial stages of the Higgs boson, and some actually predicted that it didn’t exist, in the end, the experiments began to compound and on March 14, 2013, CERN confirmed the Higgs boson. The experiments even go on to suggest that multiple Higgs boson particles exist, but they need further studies.

Now that the Higgs boson has been discovered, what does that mean for particle physics? The Higgs boson has only just been discovered, and scientists are are only beginning to understand it. Together with the LHC, scientists are looking to see how antimatter and dark energy interact, and the Higgs boson may be the piece needed to do so. The Grand Unified Theory which expands upon the Standard Model theorizes the Higgs particle could bridge these concepts and account for gravity.

The Higgs boson was made possible as a part of the LHC that implements a UHV chamber to conduct studies and is arguably one of the greatest discoveries of particle physics in the last decade. Not only does the Higgs boson support the Standard Model and confirms that particles have mass, it gives us a tool to look further into how the Higgs boson might interact with antimatter and dark energy.

For the best in vacuum fittings and parts to support all experiments with a UHV chamber, connect with HyVac today!

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