The God Particles

Introduction to Today’s Discussion:

In the previous episode, we discussed what mass is and how particles of matter gain mass. We learned that for any particle to acquire mass, it must interact with a particle called the Higgs Boson .

To understand today’s discussion clearly, familiarity with the previous episode is essential. To know more about the previous discussion, visit the article by clicking this link…

In today’s discussion, we will learn what the Higgs Field is, what the Higgs Boson is, and why interaction with the Higgs Field is necessary for particles to gain mass, etc.

The Discovery of the Higgs Boson

On July 4, 2012, after much anticipation, the existence of the Higgs Boson also known as the “God Particle” was announced. This discovery opened a new chapter in particle physics and answered some significant unknown questions related to the observable universe.

Understanding Particles and Forces

When considering the creation and existence of our vast universe two crucial concepts come to mind. Extremely tiny particles and forces. These two fundamental principles form the foundation upon which our entire universe stands. Everything, from tiny microorganisms to us, our planet, our solar system, the enormous galaxies, and everything within the universe is made up of these tiny particles. The forces carried by these particles hold the universe in a stable state.

When discussing particles, the concept of fundamental particles naturally comes up. Now you might ask what are fundamental particles?

What Are Fundamental Particles?

Fundamental particles are those particles that cannot be broken down into smaller parts such as electrons revolving around the nucleus of an atom. Electrons are fundamental particles of nature that cannot be further divided.

The protons and neutrons in the nucleus are not fundamental particles like electrons. They can be divided into smaller components. Protons and neutrons in the nucleus are composed of even more minute particles called quarks. You may have learned about this in the previous episode.

As of our current experimental knowledge, quarks are the smallest fundamental particles of nature. This means that if you break down an atom, you get a nucleus, break down the nucleus, and you get protons and neutrons, and breaking down protons and neutrons yields quarks. Breaking down quarks yields no more particles.

According to another theory, quarks themselves are not the most fundamental particles but are made of even finer strings, a concept known as string theory. We won’t delve into string theory today, but we can discuss it another time.

The Standard Model of Elementary Particles

To better understand the vast world of particles, particle physicists have developed a standard model known as *The Standard Model of Elementary Particles.* This model was developed in the 1970s by particle physicists to understand the nature of fundamental particles and how they interact with fundamental forces. It is widely accepted in the scientific community.

According to this standard model all fundamental particles are categorized into two primary groups:

• One group is called:
  Fermions.

• The other group is :
  Bosons.

Fermions are considered the building blocks of the universe. These fermions primarily combine to form all matter, which in turn forms the structure of the universe.

 On the other hand bosons are responsible for carrying the fundamental forces. Bosons transport these forces and control how and where they interact.

The fermion particles are further divided into two broad categories:

• Quarks.

• Leptons.

There are six types of quarks:

1. Up quark.
2. Down quark.
3. Top quark.
4. Bottom quark.
5. Charm quark.
6. Strange quark.

There are six types of leptons:

1. Electron.
2. Muon.
3. Tau.
4. Electron neutrino.
5. Muon neutrino.
6. Tau neutrino.

The main difference between quarks and leptons is that quarks experience the strong nuclear force while leptons do not.

Our main focus is on the Higgs Boson, so let’s return to that discussion.

We mentioned earlier, bosons are force-carrying particles.

The force-carrying boson particles are:

• Gluons
• Photons
• W bosons
• Z bosons
• Higgs bosons
  

The four fundamental forces of nature are:

1. Gravitational force
2. Electromagnetic force
3. Strong nuclear force
4. Weak nuclear force

Note: According to Albert Einstein gravity is not a fundamental force but rather an effect caused by the curvature of spacetime due to the mass of an object.

Gravitons are thought to be the carriers of gravitational force, but no definitive proof of their existence has been found yet. Scientists believe that gravitons must exist because every fundamental force has an associated particle to carry it. Gravitational force is the weakest of all the fundamental forces but operates over the greatest distances.

Among other bosons photons carry electromagnetic force, which is the second strongest fundamental force in the universe, being 10^36 times stronger than gravity.

The boson known as the gluon carries the strong nuclear force. This strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons together within the nucleus and prevents them from flying apart. It is the strongest of the fundamental forces in nature but it operates only over very short distances (about 10^–15 meters).

On the other hand, W and Z bosons are responsible for the weak nuclear force. Which is involved in radioactive decay processes like beta decay. This force is much weaker than the electromagnetic force by a trillion times.

We come to the Higgs Boson the subject of our current discussion.

The Role of the Higgs Boson in Mass Acquisition

The existence of the Higgs Boson was first discovered in 2012 at CERN’s particle accelerator laboratory, but British physicist Peter Higgs and a few other scientists had predicted its existence as early as 1964.

The question then arises: how was it possible to predict the existence of such a particle?

I hope you now have a clear understanding of the fundamental forces and particles. Once this is understood the next question that naturally arises is. How do particles of matter acquire mass?

Without mass no objects in the universe could form whether they are large or small. The next logical question is where does the mass of particles come from?

Not all particles have mass photons have no mass. Scientists were puzzled about why some fundamental particles have mass while others do not. You might have come across a brief answer to this question in the previous episode, but now let’s explore it in more detail.

What is the Higgs Field?

In 1964, Peter Higgs proposed the idea of an invisible field known as the Higgs Field. According to this hypothesis our entire universe is enveloped by this massive Higgs Field. When fundamental particles pass through this field they interact with it.

Which in turn gives them mass. Some particles interact more strongly with the Higgs Field gaining more mass while others interact less and thus acquire less mass. Some particles do not interact with the field at all and they remain massless.

A Simple Analogy:

To better understand this, imagine the Earth’s atmosphere as the Higgs Field. If a narrow, streamlined object falls from space toward Earth, it will encounter minimal resistance from the atmosphere due to its streamlined shape.

Similarly, particles that pass through the Higgs Field with minimal resistance will acquire only a small amount of mass.

On the other hand, if a wide object falls from space toward Earth, it will encounter greater resistance from the atmosphere due to its larger surface area.

Higgs Field particles that face more resistance will gain more mass. It is important to note that size doesn’t necessarily determine mass. It’s the extent of interaction with the Higgs Field that matters.

For example, photons do not interact with the Higgs Field and thus remain massless. Protons and neutrons in the nucleus as well as electrons interact with the Higgs Field thereby gaining mass.

Higgs Boson and the Higgs Field

We already know that the particle associated with the Higgs Field is the Higgs Boson. Now the question arises how is the Higgs Boson related to the Higgs Field?

In quantum physics particles are not considered as particles or waves but as fields. This means that every fundamental particle has its corresponding field. As a result, our entire universe is surrounded by various fields like the electromagnetic field, gravitational field, Higgs Field. These fields are always interacting with one another.

When these fields are excited particles or waves associated with those fields emerge. It is only when these fields are excited that we can observe the particles associated with them.

For example exciting the electromagnetic field produces photons. Similarly exciting the Higgs Field produces Higgs Bosons. The Higgs Field is composed of countless Higgs Bosons forming a continuous field with no gaps.

The Discovery of the Higgs Boson

Although Peter Higgs proposed the idea of the Higgs Field in 1964, it wasn’t widely accepted because the idea that an invisible field could give particles mass was too hard to believe at the time. Mathematical equations based on Higgs theory sparked many studies but finding the Higgs Boson seemed nearly impossible.

The problem was that the Higgs Boson decays into other particles almost immediately after it is created. This made it extremely difficult to detect the Higgs Boson directly.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and Higgs Boson Detection

In 2008, the world’s largest particle accelerator was built to solve this problem:
LHC (Large Hadron Collider).

The LHC, located at CERN, is the world’s largest particle accelerator, a 27-kilometer-long tube situated in Geneva. Inside this tube, two beams of protons are charged and made to collide at nearly the speed of light (99.9%) using thousands of powerful magnets.

The collision recreates conditions similar to those following the Big Bang, causing the subatomic particles inside the protons to emerge. Since the Higgs Field is invisible, it can’t be directly observed. However, such powerful collisions

produce the Higgs Boson, which provides evidence of the Higgs Field.

Finally, on July 4, 2012, a team of physicists working at CERN announced the discovery of the elusive Higgs Boson confirming the existence of the Higgs Field.

Conclusion: The Importance of the Higgs Field

If the Higgs Field had not existed, none of the particles would have mass, and no physical structures would have formed in the universe. The world we see around us today exists only because of the Higgs Field.