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Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 23, 2011 at 3:58 pm
The LHC in Geneva is running two experiments which could hopefully find the Higgs Boson. This is the so-called and mis-named "God Particle." The Standard Model of particle physics predicts its existence, but it is the only sub-atomic particle predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics so-far not found.
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle. The existence of the particle is postulated to resolve inconsistencies in theoretical physics and attempts are being made to find the particle by experiment, using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and the Tevatron at Fermilab.
The LHC reports tantalising evidence that the particle may exist, but cautions that such "burps" in the data have been found before, only to be later debunked. The latest data has a deviation of about three sigma (standard deviations, or 1-1.000 in the case of three sigma), but a chance of five sigma (1-1.000.000) is normally required to be accepted as evidence in the physical sciences.
But scientists stress caution over these "excess events", because similar wrinkles have been detected before only to disappear after further analysis.
Either way, if the sub-atomic particle exists it is running out of places to hide, says the head of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern), which runs the LHC.
He told BBC News the collider had now ruled out more of the "mass range" where the Higgs might be.
The new results are based on analyses of data, gathered as the vast machine smashes beams of protons together at close to light speeds.
An example of three-sigma probability is throwing a coin and getting eight heads in a row. Five sigma is twenty heads in a row.
While this is possible by chance, it is extremely unlikely. Another example from life is Mensa: for entry, Mensa requires an IQ score which is about two sigma above the norm. That is about one in fifty.
The entire article is available at the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14258601
James.
"Be ye not lost amongst Precept of Order." - Book of Uterus, 1:5, "Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her."
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 23, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Will finding this particle help to develope a unified theory in physics?
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 23, 2011 at 4:17 pm
(July 23, 2011 at 4:04 pm)kriskiran Wrote: Will finding this particle help to develope a unified theory in physics?
From Wikipedia, that font of all human knowledge (citation needed):
"The Higgs boson is the only Standard Model particle that has not been observed in particle physics experiments. It is a consequence of the so-called Higgs mechanism which is the part of the Standard Model that explains how most of the known elementary particles become massive. For example, the Higgs boson would explain the difference between the massless photon, which mediates electromagnetism, and the massive W and Z bosons, which mediate the weak force. If the Higgs boson exists, it is an integral and pervasive component of the material world." https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e...iggs_boson
James
"Be ye not lost amongst Precept of Order." - Book of Uterus, 1:5, "Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her."
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 24, 2011 at 3:37 am
(July 23, 2011 at 4:04 pm)kriskiran Wrote: Will finding this particle help to develope a unified theory in physics?
Who knows. Do cars build roads?
Silly question, I know. But so is it silly to ask such a cart-before-the-horse question.
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 24, 2011 at 3:52 am
(July 24, 2011 at 3:37 am)Moros Synackaon Wrote: (July 23, 2011 at 4:04 pm)kriskiran Wrote: Will finding this particle help to develope a unified theory in physics?
Who knows. Do cars build roads?
Silly question, I know. But so is it silly to ask such a cart-before-the-horse question.
Yeah. I know. From the thread i thought the standard model was this thing. Been hearing about it for last few years. Just curious. 
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 24, 2011 at 4:04 am
The discovery of the mechanisms that produce the force we know as 'gravity' and warps space-time are what will help lead up to a GUT.
The Higgs is one such proposed and considered likely mechanism for such.
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 24, 2011 at 11:09 am
This related thread is interesting not just because the Tevitron at Fermilabs appears to have recorded observations that could be the Higgs particle, but also because if confirmed it would mean that the Higgs particle does not conform to what the Standard Model says it should be.
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 25, 2011 at 9:31 am
(July 24, 2011 at 4:04 am)Moros Synackaon Wrote: The discovery of the mechanisms that produce the force we know as 'gravity' and warps space-time are what will help lead up to a GUT.
The Higgs is one such proposed and considered likely mechanism for such.
There is also Technocolor theory and not so long ago, Cern and Fermi labs pulished that they had indications of technocolor fermion which would indicate addition forces to the the 5 we know of. This also would support the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model a Grand Unification Theory that uses a special subset of the S8 symmetries.
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RE: Higgs Boson Running Out of Places to Hide
July 25, 2011 at 9:36 am
The cosmos, like a good book, does not give up all of it's secrets at once eh..lol. Stephen King, philosopher at large..lol.
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