We found ….. something (Higgs boson)!

Event recorded with the CMS detector in 2012 at a proton-proton centre of mass energy of 8 TeV. The event shows characteristics expected from the decay of the SM Higgs boson to a pair of photons (dashed yellow lines and green towers). The event could also be due to known standard model background processes. Credit: CERN

Event recorded with the CMS detector in 2012 at a proton-proton centre of mass energy of 8 TeV. The event shows characteristics expected from the decay of the SM Higgs boson to a pair of photons (dashed yellow lines and green towers). The event could also be due to known standard model background processes. Credit: CERN

The place: Geneva. The date: 4 July 2012. Scientists working at the LHC presented the first solid evidence of a new particle which resembles the long-sought Higgs boson.

The results come from two major experiments, CMS and ATLAS and confirm that the new particle has an energy of 125.3 GeV with a confidence of 4.9 sigma and 126 GeV with a confidence of 5 sigma for the second experiment. The conclusion was that there is a particle in the range of 125-126 GeV which looks like the Higgs boson.

As the scientific presentation was underway, everybody was expecting the slides with the first results, and people were prepared for a 3 to 4 sigma level for the Higgs which is not so significant. When the plot revealed a detection at the 4.9 sigma level, applauds filled the room and with this single discovery LHC earned it’s money.

The final step is to correctly identify that this new particle is indeed the Higgs boson and this will take considerable time and data. Many more discoveries will follow at the LHC which will bring us closer to understanding the law of physics.

P.S.: For a funny and simple description of the what the Higgs field, follow BBC’s Jonathan Amos in this link: link

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