The science
There is a lot of excitement going on in the world of science. Researchers from European organization nuclear research(CERN) announced that the Higgs boson particle exists. It is called the "God particle" which exists between a very specific set of particles and which serves a kind of invisible glue that binds the universe together.
The Higgs boson, until now a theoretical particle, is key to understanding why matter has mass, which combines with gravity to give objects weight.
For people far from physics, the general euphoria about the Higgs boson is most likely incomprehensible. What does all this mean?
What is the Higgs boson?
Boson is a type subatomic particle which gives strength. The Higgs boson was postulated in 1964 by an English professor Peter Higgs, who suggested that its existence will explain why matter, from atoms to planets, has mass and does not float around the Universe such as photons of light.
Why did it take so long to find him?
To hypothesize something in theory and prove its existence is not an easy task. If the Higgs boson does exist, it only lasts for a fraction of a second. According to the theory, a sufficient amount of it can be detected if beams of protons are collided at sufficiently high energy. Before the Large Hadron Collider, which was built several years ago, this level of energy could not be achieved.
Have scientists really found the Higgs boson?
This is not entirely true, at least not to the level they would like to achieve. It's safe to say that they found a new subatomic particle with a mass of approximately 130 protons, And preliminary results really fit into what we call the Higgs boson. There is an assumption that this could be the Higgs boson, or one of several - according to the theory, there is more than one.
Why is this discovery important?
Physicists who are trying to understand the Universe have come up with theoretical basis, which unites the various forces of nature. It's called the Standard Model. But the problem was that this model did not explain why matter has mass without involving the Higgs boson.
That is, the discovery of this subatomic particle is powerful support for the Standard Model, physical proof of the invisible field of the Universe that gave mass to all matter after Big Bang, causing particles to coalesce into stars, planets and everything else. If the boson were not found, then the entire system of views of theoretical physics would fall apart." No Higgs boson - no mass, no mass - no you, no me, no anything else".
At the end of 2012, the most authoritative magazine in the scientific world, Science, published a ranking that indicated the most important discoveries this year. Then the so-called “God particle”, which in the scientific world is called the Hoggs boson, took first place.
It was not by chance that the boson received its second name. The fact is that modern theory about elementary particles he says that because of this strange element, all substances in the Universe have mass, that is, they exist physically.
The idea of the existence of such a particle came to mind initially English physicist Peter Higgs about 40 years ago. Until now, the Higgs boson was little more than a theory, but in 2012 the Large Hadron Collider was created. Then, through the efforts of scientists, a breakthrough was achieved; as a result of experiments, they were able to detect the same Higgs boson. Such a discovery completes the model in physics that describes the interaction of all particles in the Universe, these particles themselves. Only one particle called “graviton” is excluded; its existence is assumed, but it has not yet been found. The discovery of the “God particle” was the latest proof of the fidelity of physical Standard model.
The God Particle and the Hadron Collider
The construction of the hadron collider had great value in the research and search for the Higgs boson. About $5 billion was spent to catch it. The experiments might not have ended successfully, the “God particle” would not have been found, then scientists would have seen complex issue searching for other models that would describe the world. However, the Higgs theory was confirmed. According to it, there is a field that consists entirely of Higgs bosons. It passes through the entire Universe, all the matter contained in it. The field of bosons must have existed from the very beginning, even before the world came into being. That is why all the particles gained mass.
Scientists from about 100 countries around the world took part in the experiments, which took place at the Hadron Collider (LHC). For several years, experiments did not stop. According to the Higgs theory, as soon as a boson appears, it immediately decays into particles of a different plane. If they are recorded, then it will be possible to analyze their origin, find out where and how it comes from.
The essence of the LHC is that it accelerates elementary particles, and they acquire a speed that approaches the values of . This is how particles collide. This process is monitored. They analyze what kind of radiation appears after particle collisions.
The work was carried out, and by mid-2012, scientists had achieved such an intensity of particle flux that the frequency of collisions rose to high level, which allowed, according to calculations, one boson to be formed every hour. This is subject to its real existence. As a result of experiments, scientists managed to capture a boson, its mass was measured. It amounted to 125 gigaelectronvolts.
Discussions around the “God particle”
British scientist Stephen Hawking is known all over the world; he made a statement regarding experiments on the Higgs boson. In his opinion, carrying out further experiments that are high-energy is very dangerous for the entire Universe. He hypothesized that because of the “God particle,” the foundations of the universe could disappear: space and time.
The researcher believes that the Higgs boson contains hidden potential. If this particle enters a state in which it is unstable, the vacuum may disintegrate. He made a note about this at the beginning of the book, where lectures were published that were prepared by the most leading physicists.
Hawking proposed a concept according to which vacuum can be of two types, with each type having its own energy level. By assumption, our entire world is located in a false vacuum. However, there is another type of vacuum, this true vacuum, which has a lower energy indicator.
During experiments, an unstable "God particle" can become a conductor between true and false vacuum. If such a break occurs in the field, then the Universe will immediately switch to another physical state.
However, there is no serious cause for concern right now. To bring a particle to a state of instability requires a lot of energy. To create such an acceleration, you need to construct a collider whose dimensions will be comparable to the planet.
In fact, the “God particle” is a quantum of the Higgs field. This particle has zero vacuum value. It is this circumstance that proves that creating a boson in an unstable state can lead to the destruction of the equilibrium that was formed during the formation of the Universe.
Simulation showing the appearance of the Higgs boson when two protons collide
Higgs bosonHiggs boson
The Higgs boson is an elementary particle whose nature is very difficult to comprehend without preliminary preparation and understanding the basic physical and astronomical laws of the Universe.
The Higgs boson has many unique properties, which allowed it to receive another name - the particle of God. An open quantum has color and electric charges, and its spin is in fact equal to zero. This means that it does not have quantum rotation. In addition, the boson fully participates in gravitational reactions and is prone to decay into pairs of b-quark and b-antiquark, photons, electrons and positrons in combination with neutrinos. However, the parameters of these processes do not exceed 17 megaelectronvolts (MeV) in width. In addition to the above characteristics, the Higgs particle is capable of decaying into leptons and W bosons. But, unfortunately, they are not visible well enough, which significantly complicates the study, control and analysis of the phenomenon. However, in those rare moments when they were nevertheless able to be recorded, it was possible to establish that they fully correspond to the physical models of elementary particles typical for such cases.
Prediction and history of the discovery of the Higgs boson
Feynman diagram showing possible options the birth of W- or Z-bosons, which upon interaction form a neutral Higgs boson
In 2013, the Englishman Peter Higgs and the Belgian citizen François Englert received the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and substantiation of the existence of a mechanism that makes it possible to understand how and from what the masses of elementary particles originate. However, long before this, various experiments and attempts to discover the Higgs boson had already been carried out. Back in 1993 in Western Europe similar studies began using the power of the Large Electron-Positron Collider. But in the end they were unable to in full bring the results expected by the organizers of this project. I also joined in the study of the issue. Russian science. So in 2008-2009. A small team of JINR scientists made a refined calculation of the mass of the Higgs boson. More recently, in the spring of 2015, collaborations known to everyone scientific world, ATLAS and CMS, again adjusted the mass of the Higgs boson, which according to this information is approximately equal to 125.09 ± 0.24 gigaelectronvolts (GeV).
Experiments to search for and estimate the parameters of the Higgs boson
As mentioned above, the initial search and evaluation experiments to determine the boson mass began back in 1993. Comprehensive Research, carried out at the Large Electron-Positron Collider, finished in 2001. The results obtained from this experiment were further adjusted in 2004. According to updated calculations top edge its mass was 251 gigaelectronvolts (GeV). In 2010, a difference of 1% was revealed in the number of b-meson, muons and antimuons appearing during the decay.
Despite statistical shortcomings, data from the Large Hadron Collider has continued to be received regularly since 2011. This gave hope for correcting inaccurate information. A new elementary particle discovered a year later, which had identical parity and the ability to decay as the Higgs boson, was subjected to serious criticism and doubt in 2013. However, by the end of the season, processing of all the accumulated data led to unambiguous conclusions: the new discovered particle is undoubtedly the sought-after Higgs boson and belongs to the Standard Physical Model.
Interesting facts about the Higgs boson
The Large Hadron Collider. One of the main goals of the project is experimental proof of the existence of the Higgs boson and its research
One of the most interesting and incredible facts about the Higgs boson is that it, in fact, does not exist in nature. Consequently, this particle, unlike other fundamental elements, is not located in the space surrounding us. This is explained by the fact that the Higgs boson disappears almost instantly after its birth. This instantaneous metamorphosis occurs through the disintegration of a particle. Moreover, during its shortest existence, the boson does not even have time to interact with anything else.
Also very interesting and attention-grabbing facts are the so-called “nicknames” that were assigned to the Higgs boson. Shocking names came into public use thanks to the means mass media. One of them was coined by the newly discovered quantum Leon Lederman, Nobel Prize winner, and sounded like “the damn particle.” However, it was not missed in printed edition labor editor and was replaced by “particle of God” or “God’s particle”.
Other mass names for the Higgs boson
Despite the popularity of Lederman's "nicknames" given to the Higgs boson, the vast majority of scientists do not approve of them and more often use another "common" name. It translates to “champagne bottle boson.” The basis for the appearance of such terminology in the designation of the Higgs boson was a certain similarity of its complex field with the bottom of a glass champagne bottle. Of no less importance for the “mischievous” scientists is the allegorical comparison, hinting at the abundance of champagne drunk on the occasion of the discovery of an important particle.
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that there are so-called Higgs-free physical models, developed even before the discovery of the boson. They imply a kind of extension of the standard.
Modern science does not stand still, but is constantly and steadily developing. The knowledge accumulated in today's physics and related fields has made it possible not only to predict, but also, in fact, to make the discovery of the Higgs boson. But the study of its properties and the designation of areas of application of the obtained information is only in initial stage. Therefore, modern physicists and astronomers still have a lot of work and experiments to do related to the study of this fundamental particle for the Universe.
The elementary particle Higgs boson, named after the British physicist Peter Higgs, who theoretically predicted its existence back in 1964, is perhaps one of the most mysterious and amazing in the world. modern physics. It was she who caused a lot of controversy and discussion in scientific community, and someone even gave her such an unusual epithet as “a piece of God.” There are also skeptics who claim that the Higgs boson does not exist and all this is nothing more than a scientific hoax. What the Higgs boson actually is, how it was discovered, what properties it has, read about it further.
What is the Higgs boson: an explanation in simple language
To explain the essence of the Higgs boson as simply and clearly as possible not only to a physicist, but also to an ordinary person Anyone interested in science must resort to the language of allegories and comparisons. Although, of course, all allegories and comparisons that relate to the physics of elementary particles cannot be true and accurate. The same electromagnetic field or quantum wave is neither a field nor a wave in the sense in which people usually imagine them, just as atoms themselves are by no means reduced copies solar system, in which electrons revolve around like planets around atomic nucleus. And although allegories and comparisons still do not convey the very essence of those things that happen in quantum physics, they, however, allow us to get closer to understanding these things.
Interesting fact: in 1993, the British Minister of Education even announced a competition for the simplest explanation of what the Higgs boson is. The winner was an explanation related to the party.
So, imagine a crowded party, then some celebrity (for example, a “rock star”) enters the room and guests immediately begin to follow her, everyone wants to communicate with the “star,” while the “rock star” himself moves slower than all the other guests. Then people collect in separate groups, in which they discuss some news or gossip related to this rock star, while people move chaotically from group to group. As a result, it seems that people are discussing gossip, closely surrounding the celebrity, but without his direct participation. So, all the people participating in the party are the Higgs field, groups of people are a disturbance of the field, and the celebrity itself, because of which they were formed, is the Higgs boson.
If this allegory is not entirely clear to you, then here is another one: imagine a smooth billiard table on which there are balls - elementary particles. These balls easily fly apart different sides and move everywhere without obstacles. Now imagine that a billiard table is covered with some kind of sticky substance that makes it difficult for the balls to move along it. This sticky mass is the Higgs field, the mass of this field is equal to the mass of the particles that stick to it. The Higgs boson is the particle that corresponds to this sticky field. That is, if you hit a billiard table with this sticky mass hard, then a small amount of this very sticky mass will temporarily form a bubble, which will soon spread over the table again, and so, this bubble is the Higgs boson.
Discovery of the Higgs boson
As we wrote at the beginning, the Higgs boson was first discovered theoretically by British physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed that in the process of the spontaneous violation mechanism electroweak symmetry The standard model of particle physics involves some previously unknown elementary particle. This happened in 1964, immediately after that the search began for the real existence of this elementary particle, however, long years they failed. Because of this, some scientists jokingly began to call the Higgs boson the “damned particle” or the “God particle.”
And so, in order to confirm or deny the existence of this mysterious “particle of God,” a giant particle accelerator was built in 2012. Experiments on it experimentally confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, and the discoverer of the particle himself, Peter Higgs, became a laureate in 2013 Nobel Prize in physics for this discovery.
Returning to our analogy about the billiard table, in order to see the Higgs boson, physicists needed to hit this sticky mass that lies on the table with the proper force in order to get a bubble out of it, the Higgs boson itself. So, the particle accelerators of the last 20th century were not so powerful as to provide a “hit on the table” with the required force, and only the Large Hadron Collider, created at the beginning of our 21st century, as they say, helped physicists “hit the table” with the proper force and see with your own eyes “a piece of God.”
The benefits of the Higgs boson
To a person far from science in general and from physics in particular, the search for a certain elementary particle may seem pointless, but the discovery of the Higgs boson is of considerable importance for science. First of all, our knowledge of the boson will help with calculations that are carried out in theoretical physics when studying the structure of the Universe.
In particular, physicists have suggested that the entire space surrounding us is filled with Higgs bosons. When interacting with other elementary particles, bosons impart their mass to them, and if it is possible to calculate the mass of certain elementary particles, then the mass of the Higgs boson can also be calculated. And if we have the mass of the Higgs boson, then with its help going to reverse side, we can also calculate the masses of other elementary particles.
Of course, all this is very amateurish reasoning from the point of view of academic physics, but our magazine is also popular science, to talk about serious scientific matters in simple and understandable language.
The danger of the Higgs boson
Concerns about the Higgs boson and experiments with it were identified by British scientist Stephen Hawking. According to Hawking, the Higgs boson is an extremely unstable elementary particle and, as a result of a certain set of circumstances, can lead to the decay of the vacuum and the complete disappearance of such concepts as space and time. But don’t worry, in order for something like this to happen, it is necessary to build a collider the size of our entire planet.
Properties of the Higgs boson
- The Higgs boson, like other elementary particles, is subject to influence.
- The Higgs boson has zero spin (angular momentum of elementary particles).
- The Higgs boson has an electrical and color charge.
- There are 4 main channels for the birth of the Higgs boson: after the fusion of 2 gluons (main), the fusion of WW or ZZ pairs, accompanied by a W or Z boson, along with top quarks.
- The Higgs boson decays into a b-quark-b-antiquark pair, into 2 photons, into two electron-positron and/or muon-antimuon pairs, or into an electron-positron and/or muon-antimuon pair with a neutrino pair.
A word to the skeptics
Of course, there are also skeptics who claim that no Higgs boson exists in reality, and that all this was invented by scientists for the selfish purpose of using taxpayers’ money supposedly going for scientific research elementary particles, but actually into the pockets of certain people.
Higgs boson, video
And finally interesting documentary video about the Higgs boson.
What's happened Higgs boson? Undoubtedly, most of you have heard about this particle, which was somehow discovered and gave something to scientists.
However, how many people understand this issue? Let's try to explain this to you as simply and clearly as possible.
Preface
What happens in the microcosm is very difficult to perceive human mind. You know what electrons are, right? Most of you, from school, imagine them as small balls that rotate around a nucleus. Protons and neutrons? These are also balls, right?
Those who once tried to understand a little quantum mechanics, imagines elementary particles as clouds. When someone sees the text “any elementary particle is also a wave,” then the image of a wave on the sea or on the surface of a lake where a stone was thrown immediately appears in their head.
If a person is told that a particle is an event within a certain field, then some interval from a memory or a future event is immediately imagined, and the field “hums” in his head, like a transformer booth.
The fact is that words such as particle, wave and field at the micro level do not quite correctly reflect reality and imagine them, comparing them with ordinary natural phenomena- incorrect. So try to filter out any visual images, since they will be incorrect and interfere with understanding.
We need to accept the fact that particles are in principle not something that can be “touched”, but since we are human and tactile knowledge of the world is characteristic of us, we will have to fight our own instincts to understand the issue.
Electrons, photons or Higgs boson are not both a particle and a wave. They are generally something intermediate and for this there is no the right word(it's not necessary). Humanity knows how to work with them, we know how to carry out calculations, but to find a word that would describe mental image... this is problematic. The fact is that these things, which are elementary particles, familiar world impossible to compare with anything. This is a completely different world. Microworld.
What did you look for and find at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)?
There is a generally accepted theory of how the world works on the smallest scale and it is called - Standard Model. According to this model, in our world there are somewhat completely different types substances that regularly interact with each other.
When thinking about interactions, it is very convenient to use parameters such as mass, speed and acceleration, which allows us to call elementary particles something like “carrier particles”. In total, there are 12 such varieties in this model.
11 of the 12 Standard Model particles have been observed before. The 12th particle is a boson corresponding to the Higgs field, gives many other particles mass, limiting their speed of movement. The Higgs field does not interact with some particles at all. For example, it has no effect on photons and their mass is zero.
In theory The Higgs boson was predicted back in 1964, but here prove its existence is experimental were able to do so only in 2012. All these years they have been searching tirelessly for the boson!
Before it started working TANK, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) was electron-positron collider, was in Illinois Tevatron, but these capacities were not enough to conduct the necessary experiments. Although, the experiments still yielded certain results.
Higgs boson- a heavy particle and it is extremely difficult to detect. The essence of the experiment is very simple, but the implementation with subsequent interpretation of the results is real problem.
So they take it two protons and accelerate to near light speed. At some point in time they are confronted head-on. Protons are “shocked” by such an impact begin to crumble into secondary particles. During this process they tried to detect the Higgs boson.
Complicating the experiment is the fact that the existence of a boson can only be confirmed indirectly. The period of existence of the Higgs boson is critically small, as is the distance between the points of origin and disappearance. It is impossible to measure this period of time and distance, but! The Higgs boson does not disappear without a trace and its short-term presence is proved by the “decomposition products”.
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. No, in a huge haystack. No, in thousands of huge haystacks! The fact is that the Higgs boson decays with different probabilities into different combinations particles. For example, these could be quark-antiquark, W-bosons, or tau particles in general.
In some cases, the decay is difficult to distinguish from the decay of other particles, in other cases there is no time to record what is happening at all. As it became known, detectors best captures the transformation of the Higgs boson into 4 leptons(fundamental particles), but the probability of such an event is only 0.013%.
ATLAS and CMS detectors came into play
Six months of experiments on TANK and millions of collisions in one second gave the desired result. Scientists have recorded those same 4 leptons (as many as five times).
Giant detectors made it possible to record this ATLAS And CMS, which revealed particle with energy 125GeV(unit of measurement in quantum physics). It was this indicator that corresponded to the theoretical prediction of the Higgs boson.
Part of something bigger
What if there is an error? Yes, researchers asked this question too. Therefore, to confirm the discovery, many, many repeated experiments were carried out.