The Higgs FieldMass is not an intrinsic property of matter.

The Higgs Boson:

• Is a particle, alongside commonly known protons, electrons, neutrons, etc.

• Is an excitation of a field (i.e. an indication to the Higgs Field)

• Was believed to exist as a hypothesis by Peter Higgs

• Was confirmed to exist by physicists at the Large Hadron Collider (i.e. big super accelerator machine of science) on July 4th 2012

• Is a missing puzzle piece to the world of physics because it: 1. Explains why the weak nuclear force is weak (Boring!) 2. Explains why matter has mass (Cool! Let’s focus on this for the next slide!)

Hey Edward, what the heck are you talking about?

Well, doesn’t all matter just…have...mass?

Other Matter

Photons

0 100 200 300 400

Minimum Speed (Mm/s)

Maximum Speed (Mm/s)

• Light (i.e. EM radiation or photons or waves or particles of light) does not interact with the Higgs Field; more specifically, it goes by unscathed of mass

• Everything else interacts with the Higgs Field and, as a result, acquires mass

__________________

Speed of

light

Model of the Higgs Field

Wait, can you repeat that?

Rule #1: Things with mass can not travel at the speed of light but can remain stationary.

Rule #2: Things without mass must travel at the speed of light regardless.

Rule #3: The only things the Higgs Field does not interact with are photons. Hence, light travels at the speed of light.

But why is this true?• Because Einstein said so.

• E=mc^2

• An infinite amount of energy is required to accelerate an object with mass to the speed of light.

Yeah, yeah, so what’s your point?

• Without Higgs, electrons would escape at the speed of light (no atoms) and weak interactions would not be weak (everything would be radioactive)

• Promotes team collaboration with respect to new scientific discoveries

• I believe it inspires children who may find an interest in particle physics or other relevant fields of study in the future

• Sends an important message to people: never to stop looking for new ideas

Imprint of a Higgs Boson decaying

But really, why should I care?

• Completes and verifies the Standard Model of physics

• This type of fundamental research may yield unexpected everyday applications (e.g. anti-matter research applied to PET scans)

• Motivation and proof that long hard work pays off

• Could change high school curriculums

Advantages

• LHC construction, performance, and maintenance costed billions of dollars

• No current practical applications

• Physicists were hoping for a discovery that would shine a light on “new physics” (e.g. supersymmetry and dark energy)

Disadvantages

Okay, okay, so what now?

Next Steps

With an understanding of the Higgs, scientists are now ready to look for other universes, recreate the

Big Bang, figure out dark matter, etc.

The Standard Model still does not explain the gravitational force….

The LHC will be going through an 18-month upgrade that will boost its energy capacity =

more science!

I think physicists will need to look more into public awareness to educate people and garner support for

their ongoing research.

I hope that other sectors (e.g. healthcare) will look into the discovery and try to attribute

a practical application for the Higgs.

I believe that researchers should focus on whether the discovered Higgs Boson was “standard” or

something more complicated and intriguing.

Ah, I see. So, why’d you choose this topic?

The Higgs demonstrates today’s socioeconomic implications and shows that collaborative work does pay off.

• Eight nations from around the world, including Canada, funded the LHC.

• It was a multi-billion dollar project that wasn’t intended to yield any practical applications.

• When have you ever heard of politicians investing into something that wouldn’t grow financially?

• When, if ever, will this happen again?

PeterHiggsAt The Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland

Thank you for listening.

Please feel free to ask questions.

References:

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nNBZw9ICok

•http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/03/14/wrd-science-higgs-boson-particle-discovery.html

•http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0314/Life-after-Higgs-boson-What-s-next-for-the-world-s-largest-atom-smasher

•http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jul/04/higgs-boson-discovery-real-work

•http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/152326-cern-begins-lhc-upgrade-to-hopefully-change-our-understanding-of-the-universe

•http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/06/after-the-higgs-boson-what-scientists-will-do-with-the-discovery.html

•http://www.phdcomics.com/higgs/index.php?page=-1

Yes class, this is summative.

Which of the following are true about the idea surrounding the Higgs?

a) The Higgs Boson gives objects mass.b) The Higgs Field gives objects mass.c) Things with mass can not reach the speed of light.d) The Higgs Field also explains the strong nuclear forcee) Two of the abovef) Three of the aboveg) Four of the aboveh) I really don’t know but can I still get 100% on this test?