First proposed by physicist Peter Higgs in the 1960s, the elusive Higgs boson particle, often referred to as the ‘God particle,’ was eventually detected six years ago at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Recently, particle physicists have observed the decay of the Higgs boson into fundamental particles known as bottom quarks. These observations were made possible through the study of particle collisions at varying energy levels. However, because a Higgs boson’s life span is only one zeptosecond, an incredibly short period equivalent to 10−21 seconds, its detection and analysis require both substantial energy quantities and sophisticated detectors.
Understanding the Importance of Higgs Boson
The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, which earned a Nobel Prize, validated the Standard Model of physics, predicting that a Higgs Boson would decay into a pair of bottom quarks about 60% of the time. The elusive Higgs boson particle plays a crucial role in the Standard Model of particle physics which explains three of the four known fundamental forces in the universe, namely electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions. This model, however, does not include the gravitational force. Bosons, a group including the Higgs particle, photons, gluons, and the W and Z bosons, are believed to be responsible for physical forces.
Exploring the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
The LHC, essentially two 16-mile-round rings overlapping in four places, is the world’s largest and most potent particle accelerator. First launched in 2008, it’s the latest addition to CERN’s accelerator complex and functions by sending protons or heavier atoms racing around the rings at close to light speed. The particles collide at the four ring intersections where vast detectors record the resulting particle emissions. Experiments reveal new discoveries when outcomes deviate from existing physics laws or manifest predicted but previously unseen behaviour.
The Significance of Particle Physics
Like how grammar and vocabulary shape our communication, particles interact with each other following interactions through fundamental forces. Therefore, studying the emission patterns of these particles give insights into their properties and structures. Checking this prediction is vital as it can either reinforce the Standard Model, based on the idea that the Higgs field gives quarks and other fundamental particles mass, or challenge its foundations, paving the way to new physics.
Large Hadron Collider: Need for Upgradation
Earlier this year, CERN announced a massive upgrade, set for completion by 2026, which would boost the collider’s capabilities and enable more extensive, detailed physics experiments. It will convert the LHC into the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), enabling more frequent particle collisions and accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries. At present, the LHC can generate one billion proton collisions per second, a rate expected to increase five to seven times after the upgrade, potentially yielding more accurate measurements of particles like the Higgs boson.
India’s Association with CERN
In 2016, India became an associate member of CERN, marking a significant upgrade from its ‘Observer’ status acquired in 2004. This membership, costing India Rs. 78 crore annually, allows Indian companies to bid on valuable engineering contracts, and permits Indians to apply for staff positions within the organization. However, it does not confer voting rights on Council decisions. Indian scientists have been instrumental in the Large Ion Collider Experiment, ALICE, and the Compact Muon Solenoid, CMS, experiments leading to the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
About CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory. It is widely recognized as the operator of the Large Hadron Collider, which discovered the elusive Higgs boson in 2012. Based on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, CERN has 22 member states.
