Higgs Boson - the God Particle

[Edward64]

Fermilab will have a major announcement (if leaks can be believed) on the god particle tomorrow on Wed, July 4.

Not sure what it is? Check out simple explanation on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIg1Vh7uPyw

I'm still not sure why its important. I get normal people won't understand the theorectical physics and math behind it (e.g. super symmetry, extra dimensions) ... other than for the geekiness factor, would like to know why is it relevant to us

Has the Higgs boson been found? Signs point to ... almost - Cosmic Log

Discovery of the Higgs boson is the top objective for the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider, which was started up almost four years ago. Physicists have theorized about the particle and its associated Higgs field for four decades, working it in as a key part of the Standard Model, one of physics' most successful theories. The Higgs field is thought to be the mechanism that imparts mass to some particles while leaving other particles massless. What's more, the Higgs mechanism could serve as a gateway for going beyond the Standard Model and exploring way-out concepts such as supersymmetry and extra dimensions.

[albionmoonlight]

I know very little here. But I remember hearing that one of the reasons people are excited about it is that it was predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics before we had any evidence of it.

So, finding it would provide strong confirmation that the Standard Model is, if not 100% correct, certainly very close to whatever reality actually is.

[JediKooter]

The importance of this discovery is several fold, I believe. One of the main things is, that it is what gives atoms mass. Maybe they can perform alchemy now?

[Fonzie]

Understanding the nature of the universe is all well and good, but what excites me the most about the Higgs Boson is that physicists may figure out a way to give the atoms of my flabby gut a bit less mass.

And the atoms of certain other areas a bit more, perhaps.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Fonzie

And the atoms of certain other areas a bit more, perhaps.

They figured this one out awhile ago, don't you read your e-mails?

[DanGarion]

Maybe they have discovered little gods in the in middle of every atom...

[Edward64]

I guess he will win a Nobel if it proves out.

BBC News - Higgs excitement at fever pitch

"The Higgs boson gives other particles mass, which sounds simple," Tara Shears, a particle physicist at Liverpool University, told BBC News.

"But if particles didn't have mass, you wouldn't have stars, you wouldn't have galaxies, you wouldn't even have atoms. The Universe would be entirely different."
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According to the theory, all of space is filled by a field - known as the Higgs field, which is mediated by particles known as Higgs bosons.

Other particles gain mass when they interact with the field, much as a person feels resistance from the water - drag - as they wade through a swimming pool.

The boson is the last missing particle in the Standard Model, the most widely accepted theory of how the cosmos works. But the Higgs remains a theoretical construct that has never been observed in a particle accelerator.

[PilotMan]

Yep, it might be the greatest scientific discovery of our time. The kind of shit that Science books stop the presses to put in the books. As a former aspiring Astrophysicist, it gets me excited.

[Edward64]

Congrats ...

Physicists find evidence of new subatomic particle that resembles Higgs boson | Fox News

To cheers and standing ovations from scientists, the world's biggest atom smasher claimed the discovery of a new subatomic particle Wednesday, calling it "consistent" with the long-sought Higgs boson -- popularly known as the "God particle" -- that helps explain what gives all matter in the universe size and shape.

"We have now found the missing cornerstone of particle physics," Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), told scientists.

He said the newly discovered subatomic particle is a boson, but he stopped just shy of claiming outright that it is the Higgs boson itself -- an extremely fine distinction.

"As a layman, I think we did it," he told the elated crowd. "We have a discovery. We have observed a new particle that is consistent with a Higgs boson."

[Edward64]

This is a little bit more helpful in understanding why it may apply to regular folks.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...de-simple?lite

What good is it?
Particle physicists try to avoid forecasting the applications of an experimental advance before the actual advance is confirmed, but in the past, advances on a par with the discovery of the Higgs boson have had lots of beneficial applications, and some that are more questionable. The rise of nuclear power and nuclear weaponry is a prime example of that double-edged sword.

The discovery of antimatter is what made medical PET scanning possible, and antimatter propulsion could eventually play a part in interstellar travel, just like on "Star Trek." Particle accelerators have opened the way to medical treatments such as proton eye therapy — as well as advances in materials science, thanks to neutron scattering.

It's conceivable that the discoveries made at the Large Hadron Collider will eventually point to new sources of energy, Michio Kaku, a physicist at City College of New York, told me during a discussion of the LHC's promise and peril. And if the discovery of the Higgs leads to fresh insights into the fabric of the universe, it's conceivable that we could take advantage of the as-yet-unknown weave of that fabric for communication or transportation. Who knows? Maybe this is how "Star Trek" gets its start.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Great. Now how do we weaponize it?

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

Great. Now how do we weaponize it?

Amazon.com: Into the Looking Glass (Looking Glass, Book 1) (9781416521051): John Ringo: Books

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

Great. Now how do we weaponize it?

Don't worry. Halliburton already has the no-bid contract on it.