The presumed existence of the Higgs boson particle- or as it is known colloquially and much to the chagrin of proper scientists, the God particle- promises to bestow upon humanity a huge level up when it comes to understanding the origins of the very universe in which we live.

Particle physicists- the men and women who work tirelessly over the course of decades to make these small advances- developed theories that would eventually support the existence of the hypothetical elementary particle Higgs boson as early as 1962. (Which is kind of sad when you think of all the physicists from back then that would have been thrilled to pieces by how far the research has come but have obviously not lived to see it.) Long story short, Higgs boson is an essential building block in particle physics, and its confirmation would support some of what is known as the Standard Model- the basic building blocks of the visible universe.

Experiments to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson particle are currently being performed with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, with the natural outgrowth of the discovery being super symmetry- or SUSY- something particle physicists believe is the next big thing in physics. Howard Baer is a Professor of High Energy Physics at the Oklahoma University Department of Physics and Astronomy, and he’s been looking for SUSY for 25 years. Baer explains:

“Finding the Higgs boson is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but the Higgs boson is only the tip of the iceberg of SUSY matter. With SUSY, we are talking about the next level of the laws of physics.  If there is SUSY, then we will find super partners, which will provide a new perspective for the origin and evolution of the universe.  At that point, we can say we are on the road to a much deeper comprehension of nature.”

Robert Cailliau, formerly of CERN, explained to Al Jazeera why the research needs to be so exhaustive:

“The particle can only be seen by its tracks, like footprints in the snow. If you see a single print that looks like it was made by the paw of a cat, you should consider that it could have been something else that made the print: a falling leaf, the wind, whatever … It’s only after seeing many prints of cat paws one after the other in related circumstances that you would be justified to say ‘there was a cat here.’”

Have you been following news about Higgs boson and the Large Hadron Collider? Do you think 2012 will bring a lot of new scientific breakthroughs?

Higgs Boson Research Might Unlock Mysteries of Particle Physics, Scientists Say is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Higgs boson particle, first hypothesized in the 1960s, is said to be the missing piece of the ‘Big Bang’ theory which explains the universe’s existence and even creation.

Physicists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced Tuesday that they’d narrowed down the list of possible hiding spots for the Higgs, and say there are signs it is close to being located. Vivek Sharma, a physicist at the University of California, San Diego, and leader of the Higgs search, says:

“I think we are getting very close. We may be getting the first tantalizing hints, but it’s a whiff, it’s a smell, it’s not quite the whole thing.”

In recent days, rampant speculation has suggested the CERN team would announce the particle has been found. Tuesday’s declaration was not the definitive statement on the matter, however but scientists say the progress made is a significant and exciting step, physicists say. CERN physicist Fabiola Gianotti told reporters:

“It’s something really extraordinary and I think we can be all proud of this.”

The Higgs boson is thought to be tied to a field (known as ‘the Higgs field’) that gives all other particles their mass, therefore creating matter. After collecting two years of data, the particle can only exist in the range between 114.4 and 131 gigaelectronvolts (GeV). Outside that range, scientists say they are more than 95% confident the Higgs cannot exist.

God Particle Discovery Closer Than Ever, Say Scientists is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scientists at the  Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland may be ready to announce that they have caught a glimpse of the Higgs Boson Particle.  The Higgs Boson is more commonly referred to as the “God” Particle, because it is theorized that it is the particle which creates mass in objects.  Its discovery would prove the Standard Theory of physics and be able to explain the formation of the Universe.

The Large Hadron Collider was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) with the intention of testing various theories of high-energy physics and primarily for testing for the existence of the Higgs Boson. It was built in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and engineers from more than 100 countries.  The Large Hadron Collider lies in a tunnel 17 miles in diameter at a depth of 574 feet beneath the borders of France and Switzerland, close to the Swiss capital of Geneva.

Scientists believe that they have the particle within their sights, but are just short of announcing a formal discovery. As reported in the BBC “Prof Stefan Soldner-Rembold, from the University of Manchester, called the quality of the LHC’s results exceptional”, adding: “Within one year we will probably know whether the Higgs particle exists, but it is likely not going to be a Christmas present.”

The Large Hadron Collider has been featured heavily among many different entertainment mediums, being featured on the hit TV show The Big Bang Theory and the subject of Antimatter production in the hit movie Angels and Demons.  There was a fear among internet bloggers prior to its opening that because it would be creating Black Holes within the tunnel that the Large Hadron Collider had the ability to destroy the world.

Do You Believe the Higgs Boson is real?

Higgs Boson May Have Been Glimpsed At Large Hadron Collider is a post from: The Inquisitr

Researchers at CERN have been using the Large Hadron Collider to search for the elusive Higgs boson particle, and scientists believe that the first glimpse of it may come as soon as next week.

“I think we are going to get the first glimpse,” Professor John Ellis, a former head of theoretical physics at Cern, told Newsnight science editor Susan Watts “The LHC experiments have already looked high and low for this missing piece.

“It could be that it weighs several hundred times the proton mass, but that seems very unlikely, then there’s a whole intermediate range where we know it cannot be, then there’s the low mass range where we actually expect it might be. There seem to be some hints emerging there… and that’s what we’re going to learn on Tuesday”.

The Large Hadron Collider was built primarily to find the Higgs boson particle, so naturally CERN, as well as the scientific community, is excited about the possibility of new information coming out next week. Scientists don’t expect definitive proof of the particle to come out, however, but they have hopes that CERN will come out with the strongest evidence of the particle’s existence to date.

The Higgs boson particle is thought to be responsible for giving mass to fundamental particles that make up the universe. It’s often referred to as the “God particle” by the media, but the particle isn’t quite so deserving of such a grandiose title – even if its existence were to be confirmed, it doesn’t explain everything as the title may suggest.

That’s not to diminish the importance of the Higgs boson particle though – its discovery would be a considerable leap forward in our knowledge of physics and the way the universe works.

via BBC News

Scientists expect first glimpse of Higgs boson particle next week is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you don’t follow the physicist world, you might be a little confused by the title of this post. Basically it’s a big deal. Scientists using the Large Hadron Collider have managed to take high-energy physics to a hole new level in their hopes of reaching the Higgs Boson (God Particle).

To obtain that main goal two achievements were successfully completed, the LHC was able to sustain a 7 TeV particle beam and then the first proton collides were reached at such high energy levels which sets a world record, probably not the most exciting record you’ll find in the Guinness Book if you don’t understand what it all means.

ATLAS spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti released the following statement:

“With these record-shattering collision energies, the LHC experiments are propelled into a vast region to explore, and the hunt begins for dark matter, new forces, new dimensions and the Higgs boson. The fact that the experiments have published papers already on the basis of last year’s data bodes very well for this first physics run.”

CERN expects to find some useful information in the next few days after all of the data has been analyzed. On a happy note, still no black holes created by the device, so at least they have that going for them.

7 TeV Proton Collisions Achieved With Large Hadron Collider is a post from: The Inquisitr

“We are still coming to terms with just how smoothly the LHC commissioning is going,” said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer. “It is fantastic. However, we are continuing to take it step by step, and there is still a lot to do before we start physics in 2010. I’m keeping my champagne on ice until then.”

These developments come just 10 days after the LHC restart, demonstrating the excellent performance of the machine. First beams were injected into the LHC on Friday 20 November. Over the following days, the machine’s operators circulated beams around the ring alternately in one direction and then the other at the injection energy of 450 GeV, gradually increasing the beam lifetime to around 10 hours. On Monday 23 November, two beams circulated together for the first time, and the four big LHC detectors recorded their first collision data.

Last night’s achievement brings further confirmation that the LHC is progressing smoothly towards the objective of first physics early in 2010. The world record energy was first broken yesterday evening, when beam 1 was accelerated from 450 GeV, reaching 1050 GeV (1.05 TeV) at 21:28, Sunday 29 November. Three hours later both LHC beams were successfully accelerated to 1.18 TeV, at 00:44, 30 November.

“I was here 20 years ago when we switched on CERN’s last major particle accelerator, LEP,” said Research and Technology Director Steve Myers. “I thought that was a great machine to operate, but this is something else. What took us days or weeks with LEP, we’re doing in hours with the LHC. So far, it all augurs well for a great research programme.”

Next on the schedule is a concentrated commissioning phase aimed at increasing the beam intensity before delivering good quantities of collision data to the experiments before Christmas. So far, all the LHC commissioning work has been carried out with a low intensity pilot beam. Higher intensity is needed to provide meaningful proton-proton collision rates. The current commissioning phase aims to make sure that these higher intensities can be safely handled and that stable conditions can be guaranteed for the experiments during collisions. This phase is estimated to take around a week, after which the LHC will be colliding beams for calibration purposes until the end of the year.

First physics at the LHC is scheduled for the first quarter of 2010, at a collision energy of 7 TeV (3.5 TeV per beam).

Follow LHC progress on twitter at www.twitter.com/cern
For photos, video and latest information see: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/lhc-first-physics/
(Video regarding this event will be available during the day.)
Contact : http://press.web.cern.ch/press/ContactUs.html

LHC sets new world record is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cern has two live streams, one in Windows Media format, the other in Flash. At the time of writing the sites were being hammered with traffic, so it’s pot luck as to whether you’ll get on and get the stream playing.

There is also suppose to be a stream on EVO here, although you have to sign up to get access…which might mean you’ll have a better chance of getting on.

CMS is offering webcam coverage from the site, no live streams, but you will get the general picture here.

The event is getting a lot of coverage in the heritage media, although it’s not clear who will be running the stream live. Try Livestation for access for some channels, or websites directly.

Cern is on Twitter, and there’s an a live blogging effort from news.com.au of all places on Twitter here.

If you’re concerned about the LHC creating a black hole that will consume the planet, you can stay informed at hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com

If you’re interested in a layman’s explanation of what the LHC is trying to achieve, Wired has the best guide.

The first test is due to commence at around 5pm Australian Eastern, midnight PDT.

UPDATE: First test was a success, with the big show yet to come. Cern’s official stream didn’t like the traffic, but following this post, Livestation contacted Cern and are now an official streaming partner. Details here, and for the next round of tests, I’d recommend trying Livestation first.

Watch the Large Hadron Collider live online [end of the world?] is a post from: The Inquisitr