Thread: Something like the Higgs boson has been found – probably, according to leaked video

Something like the Higgs boson has been found – probably, according to leaked video


By Tom Chivers Science Last updated: July 3rd, 2012
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It seems that the search for the Higgs boson – also known as "not the God particle" – might be, if not over, moving into its next phase. An apparently leaked video from Cern - I say leaked, because it seems to be dated tomorrow – shows Joe Incandela, a spokesman for one of the experiments at the Large Hadron Colider, saying "We've observed a new particle". It's in the place they expected to find the Standard Model Higgs, but for the time being they don't know whether it is or if it's something unexpected. Anyway, here's a very quick transcript of the first minute or two of his speech. I'll get more down in a bit:

Joe Incandela, the CMS Spokesperson, on CMS progress on the search for the Higgs Boson, 4 July 2012
We've observed a new particle. We have quite strong evidence that there's something there. Its properties are still going to take us a little bit of time. But we can see that it decays to two photons, for example, which tells us it's a boson, it's a particle with integer spin. And we know its mass is roughly 100 times the mass of the proton. And this is very significant. This is the most massive such particle that exists, if we confirm all of this, which I think we will.
And this is very, very significant. It's something that may, in the end, be one of the biggest observations of any new new phenomena in our field in the last 30 or 40 years, going way back to the discovery of quarks, for example. We see very, very strong evidence of the decay to two protons, and a very very narrow peak in the distribution. We see also the evidence of the decay to two Z-particles, which are like heavy photons, in this particular theory of elementary physics. And then we've studied the number of other channels that have reported, but these are less sensitive and are therefore less conclusive at the moment. But we are very excited. I'm extremely tired at the moment, so I may not appear to be as excited as I really am, but the significance of this observation could be very very great.
It could be ultimately seen that its properties are very consistent with the Standard Model Higgs, or it could be found out that its properties don't exactly match the predictions for the Standard Model. And if that's the case, then we have something really quite profound here. It could be a gateway, if you like, to the next phase of exploring the deepest fabric of the universe, which is pretty profound when you think about it.
And the other thing I would like to say is that obviously all of this is extremely preliminary. What we've looked for is a few grains on a beach, in one sense. I did some calculations, and if you replaced every event, every collision of the beams that we've scanned or had take place in our experiment over the last two years, if you let each one of those be represented by a grain of sand, you'd have enough sand to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. And the number of events that we've collected that we claim represent this observation are on the order of tens, or dozens. So it's an incredibly difficult task, and it takes a lot of care and cross-checking. We're re-calibrating, and we'll have better results, even on the current data, when we release at the end of the month. But it's very exciting.

We'll know more tomorrow, I dare say, but I thought I'd get this out as quickly as possible.

Something like the Higgs boson has been found – probably, according to leaked video – Telegraph Blogs

It's only 4 sigma confirmed. So... it might not be there. I wouldnt bet money on it not being there though.

I could have sworn I saw him coming out of a pub in harrogate yesterday.

Higgs boson: scientists 99.999% sure 'God Particle' has been found

Scientists believe they have captured the elusive "God particle" that gives matter mass and holds the physical fabric of the universe together.


By Ceri Perkins, and Nick Collins

8:41AM BST 04 Jul 2012

The historic announcement came in a progress report from the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator.

Professor John Womersley, chief executive of the Science and technology Facilities Council, told reporters at a briefing in London: "They have discovered a particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

"Discovery is the important word. That is confirmed. It's a momentous day for science."

Scientists say it is a 5 sigma result which means they are 99.999% sure they have found a new particle.

Finding the Higgs plugs a gaping hole in the Standard Model, the theory that describes all the particles, forces and interactions that make up the universe.

If the particle was shown not to exist, it would have meant tearing up the Standard Model and going back to the drawing board.
The Cern laboratory appeared to have let slip its biggest breakthrough in a generation after appearing to announce the discovery of a new particle in an online video overnight.
In the short film accidentally published by the lab yesterday spokesman Joe Incandela is seen describing how physicists at the Large Hadron Collider had "observed a new particle".




Today scientists gathered in Geneva to announce the findings. Among the audience was Peter Higgs, the Edinburgh professor who first proposed the existence of the mysterious particle almost 50 years ago.
Rumours had been rife that scientists hunting the Higgs were to announce today's finding but the video appeared to confirm the finding of a particle matching its description hours before it was confirmed.





It was first theorised in the 1960s by Edinburgh-based physicist Peter Higgs, amongst others, and is credited for giving all other particles mass. But until now, it has proved impossible to pin down (AFP/Getty Images)
Although their results are said to be strong enough to claim an official discovery, the scientists will avoid doing so because they remain unsure whether the particle they have found is indeed the Higgs.
Cern spokesman James Gillies said the video was one of several filmed to cover every eventuality and did not directly relate to today's announcement.
The Internet has been rife with rumours of a discovery ever since CERN, the European nuclear research facility, announced it would hold a press conference today with the leaders of its two gigantic experiments, ATLAS and CMS.
Sources have told the Telegraph that ATLAS will today announce a 5-sigma signal and CMS will announce a 4.9-sigma signal of a new particle with a mass of 126.5 GigaelectronVolts (GeV) and 125.2 GeV respectively - a result which falls slap bang in the middle of the tough-to-explore region where many physicists were adamant the Higgs was hiding.
The results being announced today definitively point to a new particle or particles which fit the description of a Higgs Boson, but further research will be needed to characterise it properly.
The Higgs boson is the final piece of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, a theoretical model which describes the fundamental particles and forces that control our Universe.
It was first theorised in the 1960s by Edinburgh-based physicist Peter Higgs, amongst others, and is credited for giving all other particles mass. But until now, it has proved impossible to pin down.
To do so, scientists use the LHC to smash together protons at almost the speed of light and scour the debris for traces of particles that sprang into existence for just a fraction of a second before disintegrating.
Sources have told the Telegraph that ATLAS will today announce a 5-sigma signal and CMS will announce a 4.9-sigma signal of a new particle with a mass which matches many physicists' idea of a Higgs Boson.
An ATLAS researcher said there was "no question" the two detectors are seeing the same thing, adding: "A lot of bets are going to be settled up [today]”.
“After so many years preparing and searching, it’s really amazing to see a clear signal emerge,” a CMS Higgs physicist added.
“This is the sort of thing that makes me cry,” said an ATLAS Higgs physicist. “It's the kind of crying that accompanies winning something or being overwhelmed with happiness. Human thought and ingenuity have continually created and discovered, but this outdoes them all."


Higgs boson: scientists 99.999% sure 'God Particle' has been found - Telegraph

Is this linked to the zombie outbreak? I think we should be told.

5 percentile sure as in 99.99999

"Right we've found it. Now let's see what happens when we break it...."

Anti-Gravity, Matter Replication, FTL drives.... any day now!

"Hello, I'm Higgs"

"... and I'm Boson"

Together: "... and we have a particle!"

I only care about if:

A It can pay my credit card bill.

B It fucks on the first date.

Or

C Gets the first round in.

Originally Posted by Smug Farang Bore

I only care about if:

A It can pay my credit card bill.

B It fucks on the first date.

Or

C Gets the first round in.

It dosn't do any of those things.
However it does explain why your girl complains your crushing her to death on that first date

If it holds the universe together, think if you could switch it off. What a weapon that would be. Aim fire and what you didn't like, no longer exits. Jim

^ I'm more curios about more constructive application, like could it provide artificial gravity (which also could be weaponized, of course) or provide FTL.

^ Yeah... the whole universe ceases to exist? Sounds like something we really need to develop.

Whatever it is, its not the ' God ' particle.

Only one of them.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

Whatever it is, its not the ' God ' particle.

Only one of them.

Nothing is - first of all, since there's no such thing as "god". It's a metaphor, chosen sadly in appropriately by scientists.

Arise Sir Peter: Give Professor Higgs a knighthood, say colleagues

Professor Peter Higgs, the British scientist who first suggested the existence of the “God particle”, should be knighted and awarded a Nobel prize following the discovery of the Higgs boson, leading physicists have said.


Image 1 of 2
It was first theorised in the 1960s by Edinburgh-based physicist Peter Higgs, amongst others, and is credited for giving all other particles mass. But until now, it has proved impossible to pin down Photo: AFP/Getty Images



Image 1 of 2
he head of the world's biggest atom smasher is claiming discovery of a new particle that he says is consistent with the long-sought Higgs boson known popularly as the "God particle" which is believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape Photo: AP


By Hannah Furness, and Nick Collins

1:49PM BST 04 Jul 2012

Professor Higgs, who appeared to wipe away a tear as he listened to today’s announcement, has said he had no idea the “amazing” discovery would be made within his lifetime when he made his proposals more than 50 years ago.

His colleagues are now calling for him to be honoured with a knighthood or the Nobel Prize, to commemorate his invaluable contribution to the understanding of the universe.

One said he was “amazed” Prof Higgs had not already been honoured, while another described him as a “real gentleman and a great scientist who is certainly worthy of a knighthood”.

In 1964, he and five other theoretical physicists - François Englert, Robert Brout, Gerald Guralnik, C. R. Hagen, and Tom Kibble - proposed the existence of an invisible field lying across the Universe and giving particles their mass.

Today, scientists from the Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, announced they had discovered a subatomic particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research, or Cern, said: "I think we have it."

Physicists across Britain have hailed the discovery as a “major breakthrough”, a “triumph” and “truly great moment for science”.
One compared it to Columbus discovering of America, while another used the analogy of the human body, saying the Higgs boson was of equivalent importance to the heart.
Many have now called for Professor Higgs, now 83, to receive a knighthood, and the team who help develop the theory to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey, said: “Of all the people worthy of a knighthood I cannot think of anyone more deserving right now than Peter Higgs.
“His incredible prediction almost half a century ago of the existence of a new particle that bears his name has turned out to be correct and will surely now revolutionise physics. “
Speaking from the conference in Geneva, Gerry Guralnik, one of the six physicists who proposed the idea of the Higgs Boson in 1954, said: "He should be [knighted]. He has made a great contribution to what looks like a great discovery."

Professor Peter Higgs listens to the Cern announcement in Geneva today
Prof Andy Parker, from Cambridge University, said: “Peter Higgs is a real gentleman and a great scientist who is certainly worthy of a knighthood.
“Finding this has taken many experimentalists 25 years as well, so it would be good to recognise the whole effort in some way.”
Prof Joe Incandela, spokesman for the CMS group at Cern, added: "He should definitely get a knighthood. All these guys [the theorists who proposed the Higgs] should be recognised for coming up with this theory 50 years ago. If it was up to me they would all get the Nobel Prize."


Full article :
Arise Sir Peter: Give Professor Higgs a knighthood, say colleagues - Telegraph

As I understand it they have found a new particle, that is beyond doubt. But final proof, it is the Higgs Boson, is still pending.

The discovery comes from data collected last year.

Data from experiments this year are being evaluated but are not part of this discovery. This years data will give more information as the LHC has been upgraded. The capabilities of the LHC are constantly upgraded and are not yet final.

We live and we learn. Lots more to learn.

At my age, the only question is; has it got a sexual application?

Originally Posted by FlyFree

At my age, the only question is; has it got a sexual application?

You seem to be a little confused. That is what women are for and not the LHC or Higgs Boson (it is Boson, not bosom).

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Originally Posted by FlyFree

At my age, the only question is; has it got a sexual application?

You seem to be a little confused. That is what women are for and not the LHC or Higgs Boson (it is Boson, not bosom).

You display a disconcerting yet unnerstanable lack of insight and vision.

When lectricity was discovered, who'd have thunk it will give us cock-shockers and vibrators?

Originally Posted by FlyFree

When lectricity was discovered, who'd have thunk it will give us cock-shockers and vibrators?

I prefer the original design of any implement for a given purpose. For me they give the most satisfactory results.

The Higgs Boson walks into a Catholic church.

Priest says "What are you doing here?"

Higgs Boson says "You can't have mass without me"

Higgs boson: The poetry of subatomic particles

Peter Higgs at Wednesday's Cern seminar


The Higgs boson, which scientists at Cern appear to be homing in on after 45 years, gets its name, as everyone knows, from British physicist Peter Higgs, one of the first to propose its existence.
But what about the other part of this great name - boson? This, in fact, is also named after a physicist, Einstein's Indian contemporary, Satyendra Nath Bose.
Physicists from Russia to California have given lots of curious and sometimes poetic names to the subatomic particles discovered over the last century or so. Here are 10 of them.
1. Higgs boson / God particle
The Higgs boson, proposed by Peter Higgs in 1964, is if it exists what gives matter mass. It has also been named the name God particle by American physicist Leon Lederman. "He wanted to refer to it as that 'goddamn particle' and his editor wouldn't let him," Higgs told the Guardian. So "God particle" it was.
2. Quark
Three quarks for Muster Mark! / Sure he has not got much of a bark / And sure any he has it's all beside the mark
A fundamental particle that combines to form a range of other particles, including protons and neutrons, the particles that make up the atomic nucleus.
The term was drawn from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake by American physicist Murray Gell-Mann (born 1929) in 1962. He had already come up with the sound, and was thinking of spelling it "kwork".
"Then, in one of my occasional perusals of Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce, I came across the word 'quark' in the phrase 'Three quarks for Muster Mark'," he explained in his book, the Quark and the Jaguar.
3. Hadron
The LHC gets going in 2009
A particle made of quarks. The name was proposed by the Russian theoretical physicist Lev Okun (born 1929) in 1962. He wrote: "In this report I shall call strongly interacting particles 'hadrons'… the Greek hadros signifies "large", "massive", in contrast to leptos which means "small", "light". I hope that this terminology will prove to be convenient." It is in Cern's Large Hadron Collider, a machine in which hadrons are accelerated to high speeds and smashed together, that footprints of the Higgs boson have been spotted.
4. Boson
A class of particles often associated with forces (as the carriers of the force). They obey Bose-Einstein statistics, named after the Indian physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose (1894-1974). The suffix "-on" is Greek, and became standard for newly discovered particles a century ago.
5. Fermion
Gell-Mann gave us quarks, gluons and glueballs
A class of particles which, unlike bosons, obey Fermi-Dirac statistics. They are usually associated with matter rather than force. They are named after the Italian-born physicist Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) a naturalised American regarded as one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, along with Robert Oppenheimer.
6. Gluon
A type of boson responsible for the strong force between quarks. The term derives from the English word "glue". It was first proposed in 1962 by Murray Gell-Mann, who suggested the existence of particles composed of a number of gluons, which he called glueballs.
7. Neutrino
Enrico Fermi gave the neutrino an Italian twist
Uncharged particles created as a result of certain types of radioactive decay, with a tiny mass even by the standards of subatomic particles. Neutrino means "small neutral one" in Italian. The particle was first proposed by Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) in 1930, who gave it the name "neutron". Enrico Fermi renamed it three years later, because "neutron" (from the Latin for "neutral") had by then begun to be used to refer to the uncharged particle present in the atomic nucleus.
8. Electron
An indivisible quantity of electric charge, proposed in 1894 by the Irish physicist, George Johnston Stoney (1826-1911). Derived from the word "electric" (or the Latin "electrum") plus the Greek suffix "-on".
9. Meson

• Lepton - a type of elementary particle (examples include electrons and neutrinos), from the Greek "leptos" meaning "small" or "thin"
• Photon - a light quantum, the name derived from the Greek "phos" meaning "light"
• Skyrmion - a type of fermion proposed by British physicist Tony Skyrme (1922-1987)
• Proton - name given to hydrogen nucleus by Ernest Rutherford in 1920, from the Greek "protos" meaning "first"
• WIMP - weakly interactive massive particle

A particle made of a quark and an anti-quark. The name comes from the Greek "meso" meaning "mid", because mesons, when first observed, appeared to have a mass somewhere between that of an electron, and nucleons (the particles - protons and neutrons - making up the atomic nucleus).
10. Muon
One of a large number of particles named after letters of the Greek alphabet, in this case "mu". It was originally thought to be a type of meson (the mu meson, as distinct, say, from the pi meson), but was later renamed. Mesons came to be understood as particles made up of quarks, while muons are elementary particles. The scientists at Cern have cornered the Higgs boson (probably) using a detector known as the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), which measures the energy and momentum of muons, photons, electrons and other particles generated by the colliding hadrons in the LHC.

BBC News - Higgs boson: The poetry of subatomic particles