By John Heilprin | Associated Press July 03, 2012
GENEVA — Scientists believe the ‘‘God particle’’ that might explain
the underpinnings of the universe is real, and they are about to present
their evidence to the world. Physicists at the world’s biggest atom smasher plan to announce
Wednesday that they have nearly confirmed the primary plank of a theory
that could shape the scientific understanding of all matter. The focus of the excitement is the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle
that could help explain why matter has mass, which combines with gravity
to give an object weight. Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research say
that they have compiled vast amounts of data that measure and reveal the
shadow of the particle — all but proving it exists, even though it has
never actually been glimpsed. Two independent teams of physicists are cautious after decades of
work and billions of dollars spent. They do not plan to use the word
‘‘discovery,’’ but they say they will come as close as possible to
asserting that the particle exists. Meenakshi Narain, a physics professor at Brown University who works
on one of the teams, said that although she could not disclose what will
be announced on Wednesday, this was a “once in a lifetime event,”
because the experiments have provided enough data to give “at least the
first hints of it in a significant way,” or to rule out the existence of
Higgs. (more)
GENEVA — Scientists believe the ‘‘God particle’’ that might explain
the underpinnings of the universe is real, and they are about to present
their evidence to the world. Physicists at the world’s biggest atom smasher plan to announce
Wednesday that they have nearly confirmed the primary plank of a theory
that could shape the scientific understanding of all matter. The focus of the excitement is the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle
that could help explain why matter has mass, which combines with gravity
to give an object weight. Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research say
that they have compiled vast amounts of data that measure and reveal the
shadow of the particle — all but proving it exists, even though it has
never actually been glimpsed. Two independent teams of physicists are cautious after decades of
work and billions of dollars spent. They do not plan to use the word
‘‘discovery,’’ but they say they will come as close as possible to
asserting that the particle exists. Meenakshi Narain, a physics professor at Brown University who works
on one of the teams, said that although she could not disclose what will
be announced on Wednesday, this was a “once in a lifetime event,”
because the experiments have provided enough data to give “at least the
first hints of it in a significant way,” or to rule out the existence of
Higgs. (more)
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