Signs of the Higgs Boson

2011/12/14 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Fisika

It cannot be fully confirmed, but in their experiments on the CERN LHC accelerator they have found the signals of the Higgs boson. Two teams, working with two detectors, ATLAS and CMS, have found the boson signals. In addition, in both cases a mass similar to particle 126 and 124 GeV/c2 has been ^measured, respectively.

However, it is still necessary to confirm this result. The spokesperson for the accelerator CMS, Guido Tonelli, has clearly announced to the news service of the journal Nature: “We haven’t collected enough data to have a real discovery.” The spokeswoman for the ATLAS experiment, Fabiola Gianotti, spoke in the same way to Nature, showed her agreement with Tonelli's opinion and put herself in the worst case: “It would be strange, but [the signal we have detected] could be a background fluctuation.” When will they know if the discovery is confirmed? According to Bill Murray, director of the ATLAS detector, the experiments carried out in 2012 will be confirmed.

Undoubtedly, the detection of the Higgs boson is the largest target of particle physics today. Why? Because the existence of this particle is necessary so that the theory of elementary particles — that is, the standard model — that science considers correct, not only explains the whole set of particles, but also most of the basic forces of physics.

The data presented yesterday are encouraging. But if the Higgs boson does not exist, the standard model cannot explain why some particles have mass, or why others do not. Those who carry a weak nuclear force, the bosons W and Z, have a great mass; those who transport electromagnetism, the photons, are without mass. If this cannot be explained, the theory of general force, of electromotive force, which unites these two forces, cannot be given for good and with it a great branch of physics.

The search for the Higgs boson is coming to the end. Theoretical calculations indicated that it has to be within a mass range and, if the results presented are confirmed, they have already determined what that mass is. This means that physicists know what experiments they should perform to confirm the discovery in 2012.

Additional information:

CERN Director Rolf Heuer: "I hope to find or confirm that there is no Higgs boson by December 2012." Interviews conducted in April in the magazine Elhuyar and in the radio program Norteko Ferrokarrilla.