Higgs boson looking good

The Large Hadron Collider was built in arge part to verify the existence of the Higgs Boson. Wikipedia explains, "The existence of the Higgs boson is predicted by the Standard Model to explain how spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry (the Higgs mechanism) takes place in nature, which in turn explains why other elementary particles have mass."

The latest word is that experiments are now yielding data that verifies the existence of the particle with 99% confidence in each of two separate experiments. We can all sleep better with the Standard Model less in doubt.

The LHC failed badly when it was turned on a couple years ago, and they have been rebuilding it. It's still only at haf power, but they have been increasing the beam current. More beam current means greater chances for events to be observed, which is why they are getting statistical significance.

When can I get a boson pistol?

At 4/20/2012 8:23:40 AM, Greyparrot wrote:
When can I get a boson pistol?

Try Bosons R Us, at the mall.

Yeah, but they've found nothing yet. They do however keep the LHC in the media limelight and come out with a "almost did but didn't find the God particle" story every 3 to 4 months ever since it got back on line!

IMHO, I do not think that they'll find it. I think that there are other alternatives to the Higgs.

At 4/20/2012 8:23:40 AM, Greyparrot wrote:
When can I get a boson pistol?

I believe that would be called a "flashlight" (aren't photons bosons?)

)

At 4/20/2012 3:55:16 PM, tBoonePickens wrote:
Yeah, but they've found nothing yet. They do however keep the LHC in the media limelight and come out with a "almost did but didn't find the God particle" story every 3 to 4 months ever since it got back on line!

IMHO, I do not think that they'll find it. I think that there are other alternatives to the Higgs.

Last I heard the Tevatron data from Fermilab (before it closed down) indicated a possible particle existing at the eV mass that LHC recently found some "humps" in the data indicating that possibly (at least to 5sigma) there is something there that might fit the bill for the Higgs.

Sounds like we are getting closer.

But perhaps it is assymptotic!

thanks for that news. I was losing rest and sometimes even having nightmares over the thought of there being no higgs boson. Just thinking "what if there is no higgs boson particle. The world as I know it would change completely"

At 4/20/2012 4:32:04 PM, Thaumaturgy wrote:

At 4/20/2012 3:55:16 PM, tBoonePickens wrote:
Yeah, but they've found nothing yet. They do however keep the LHC in the media limelight and come out with a "almost did but didn't find the God particle" story every 3 to 4 months ever since it got back on line!

IMHO, I do not think that they'll find it. I think that there are other alternatives to the Higgs.

Last I heard the Tevatron data from Fermilab (before it closed down) indicated a possible particle existing at the eV mass that LHC recently found some "humps" in the data indicating that possibly (at least to 5sigma) there is something there that might fit the bill for the Higgs.

Sounds like we are getting closer.

Yes, the data at LHC proves existence at better than 99% statistical confidence. That it appears in two separate experiments and in Fermilab data at the same energy level is a big deal. It shows that it's unlikely to be some artifact of the experimental setup. As the LHC beam current is increased significantly by year end, it will probably be established with six-sigma type certainty.

Photons are bosons, but not all bosons are alike. The Higgs Boson should not be discriminated against just because it is shy. That's the kind of thinking that makes it seem okay to disparage down quarks.

The LHC is huge investment with years of experiments planned. It's not going to be taken off line if the Higgs Boson is not found.

At 4/20/2012 4:32:04 PM, Thaumaturgy wrote:
Last I heard the Tevatron data from Fermilab (before it closed down) indicated a possible particle existing at the eV mass that LHC recently found some "humps" in the data indicating that possibly (at least to 5sigma) there is something there that might fit the bill for the Higgs.

Sounds like we are getting closer.

But perhaps it is assymptotic!

Again, they have found nothing conclusive and are honestly just as close as when they started.
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At 4/21/2012 12:15:54 PM, RoyLatham wrote:
Yes, the data at LHC proves existence at better than 99% statistical confidence. That it appears in two separate experiments and in Fermilab data at the same energy level is a big deal. It shows that it's unlikely to be some artifact of the experimental setup. As the LHC beam current is increased significantly by year end, it will probably be established with six-sigma type certainty.

Confidence and EMPIRICAL evidence are 2 different things.

Photons are bosons, but not all bosons are alike. The Higgs Boson should not be discriminated against just because it is shy. That's the kind of thinking that makes it seem okay to disparage down quarks.

Agreed, but there are Higgless theories out there that work with the Standard Model; no need to be romantic about the Higgs either.

The LHC is huge investment with years of experiments planned. It's not going to be taken off line if the Higgs Boson is not found.

I agree, nor should it. Even if they don't find the Higgs we will garner A WHOLE LOT of knowledge from this device.

The worlds most expensive refrigerator magnet, that is all. Always has been always will be.

At 4/23/2012 7:46:19 PM, sadolite wrote:
The worlds most expensive refrigerator magnet, that is all. Always has been always will be.

Naw. There's a lot of scientific potential in the LHC.