About Peter Higgs

April 10, 2024

Peter Higgs, one of the greatest theorectical physists who passed away earlier this week in Edinburgh.

There is a Native American proverb which goes: Tell me a fact, and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth, and I’ll believe. But tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever. I guess the best way to memorize someone is to share good stories:

When questioned about his plans if the LHC data confirms the Higgs boson’s existence, as anticipated by most physicists, he responded:

“I shall open a bottle of something.”

“A bottole of what?”

“Champagne. Because drinking a bottle of whiskey takes a little more time.”

On the day his Nobel Prize announcement was expected, he thought it best to leave town. However, his car broke down, leaving him stranded. On the way back to lunch on foot, he was intercepted by a neighbor.

“Congratulations, Mr Higgs. You’ve just won the prize!!”

He said: “What prize?”

A quick Intro to Standard model #

The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory that describes the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions between elementary particles. It is formulated in terms of quantum field theory and has been remarkably successful in explaining many experimental observations. The fundamental particles in the Standard Model are divided into two categories: fermions and bosons.

Fermions #

Fermions are particles with half-integer spin. They include:

Quarks #

Quarks are the building blocks of hadrons, such as protons and neutrons. There are six types, or flavors, of quarks:

• Up ( \(u\) )

• Down ( \(d\) )

• Charm ( \(c\) )

• Strange ( \(s\) )

• Top ( \(t\) )

• Bottom ( \(b\) )

Leptons #

Leptons are fundamental particles that do not participate in the strong interaction. There are six types of leptons:

• Electron ( \(e^-\) )

• Electron neutrino ( \(\nu_e\) )

• Muon ( \(\mu^-\) )

• Muon neutrino ( \(\nu_\mu\) )

• Tau ( \(\tau^-\) )

• Tau neutrino ( \(\nu_\tau\) )

Bosons #

Bosons are particles with integer spin. They include:

Gauge Bosons #

Gauge bosons are responsible for mediating the fundamental forces:

• Photon ( \(\gamma\) ) - Mediates the electromagnetic force

• \(W^+\) boson, \(W^-\) boson, and \(Z\) boson - Mediate the weak force

• Gluon ( \(g\) ) - Mediates the strong force

Higgs Boson #

The Higgs boson ( \(H\) ) is responsible for giving mass to other particles through the Higgs mechanism.

Wikipedia has provided a clean chart of all the above “fundamental” particles: