Higgs boson?

#1
n_huffhines

n_huffhines

What's it gonna cost?
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#1
Are there any resident VN scientists who can explain this a little better to me? More detailed implications?

What's the Latest Development?

A press conference scheduled for December 13 at Europe's Large Hadron Collider has the physics world on the edge of its seat. Scientists at the world's largest particle accelerator will update the world on their search for the Higgs boson, a particle which, following from the Standard Model, endows matter with mass. "Whatever happens eventually with the Higgs, I think we'll look back on this meeting and say, 'This was the beginning of something,'" said Joe Lykken, a physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois.

What's the Big Idea?

If evidence supporting the Higgs' existence is found, and depending on the particle's mass, several fundamental questions about the nature of our universe could soon have solutions. If it has a mass of 125 billion electron volts, some physicists say it would confirm the supersymmetry theory, an extension of the Standard Model. And if supersymmetry were true, it would "answer numerous open questions, beginning with the nature of dark matter, the unseen mass that keeps galaxies rotating faster than they otherwise would."
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Has the Higgs Particle Been Discovered? | IdeaFeed | Big Think
 
#2
#2
nbakerld said:
Are there any resident VN scientists who can explain this a little better to me? More detailed implications?



Has the Higgs Particle Been Discovered? | IdeaFeed | Big Think
Click to expand...

There are a couple of big holes in our understanding of the universe.

1) why does matter have mass?
2) why does mass cause gravity?

If the Higgs actually exists then it will go a long way towards helping us answer those questions. The most popularly held beliefs among physicists about those two questions are related to theories that require a boson with certain properties to exist. Without that boson, the theories kind of fall apart. Unfortunately, we have never been able to prove that it exists. The latest round of tests don't actually prove its existence, but it does give results that confirm some measurements that we would expect to have if it did exist. Exciting times.
 
#5
#5
Honestly, have you ever seen a more qualified statement?

If evidence supporting the Higgs' existence is found, and depending on the particle's mass, several fundamental questions about the nature of our universe could soon have solutions. If it has a mass of 125 billion electron volts, some physicists say it would confirm the supersymmetry theory, an extension of the Standard Model. And if supersymmetry were true, it would "answer numerous open questions, beginning with the nature of dark matter, the unseen mass that keeps galaxies rotating faster than they otherwise would."
Click to expand...
 
#8
#8
volinbham said:
Honestly, have you ever seen a more qualified statement?
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It's the way science should be. It is not about absolutes. Religion/philosophy deals with absolutes. When you hear scientist talk about a theory and tell you what they know based on it, be very, very wary.
 
#9
#9
RespectTradition said:
It's the way science should be. It is not about absolutes. Religion/philosophy deals with absolutes. When you hear scientist talk about a theory and tell you what they know based on it, be very, very wary.
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Science deals in observation.
 
#10
#10
RespectTradition said:
It's the way science should be. It is not about absolutes. Religion/philosophy deals with absolutes. When you hear scientist talk about a theory and tell you what they know based on it, be very, very wary.
Click to expand...

I understand science and am well trained in the scientific method. However, science is presented in absolutes all the time (though not necessarily by scientists).

What I was referring to was the long chain of "if's" in that particular statement.
 
#11
#11
VOLatile said:
Science deals in observation.
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and theory - for example this particular particle is completely theoretical. Observation is used to increase the likelihood that the theory works or doesn't work but at the core we have a theory being tested by observation.
 
#12
#12
I guess I'll try to give some insight.

Quantum Mechanics is at many crossroads. One of the leading theories is the Standard Particle Model which predicts the existence of the Higg boson. Theoretical physicists have predicted the existence of the Higg boson and the Higg Field for quite a while. What they are not sure of is the mass of Higg bosn. There is a certain range which the mass must fall into in order for the Standard Particle Model to continue. The 125 GeV cited in the link falls into that range.

Now for the bigger picture. The Higg boson or "God's Particle" at a mass of 125 GeV would create very strong evidence for the Standard Partial Model. It provides another clue to the interaction between electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force; the electroweak interaction. The Standard Particle Model is necessary for the bigger theory of supersymmetry.

For those don't know about the theory of supersymmetry, it states that we live in a fundamentally asymmetrical universe at the present time. However, at the beginning of time, the Big Bang, there existed something which is referred to as supersymmetry. Think of supersymmetry as the children's tale of Humpy Dumpty. There was this beautiful super force which was uniform and consistent. This super force consisted of the four known forces of our present universe: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. At the moment of the Big Bang, the mass began to expand rapidly. The super force was stretched like a rubber band until it broke down into the four forces which we know about today. From that moment on, the universe has been hopelessly asymmetrical.

Now, supersymmetry is needed for the even grander string theory. String theory is at the heart of M-Theory which is ultimately the theory of everything. I am sure you guys have heard of string theory and know of all the possible implications of M-Theory. Pretty fascinating stuff.

Hope this helps.
 
#14
#14
volinbham said:
and theory - for example this particular particle is completely theoretical. Observation is used to increase the likelihood that the theory works or doesn't work but at the core we have a theory being tested by observation.
Click to expand...

Theories live and die by observation, whether mathematical observation or physical observation. Higgs is purely theoretical until it's observed.
 
#17
#17
Baker, why do you care? I thought conservatives don't give a **** about science?
 
#19
#19
golfballs03 said:
Baker, why do you care? I thought conservatives don't give a **** about science?
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I don't identify much with modern day conservatives. I've never held the belief that they don't care about science, though I do recognize that is often the joke.
 
#20
#20
nbakerld said:
I don't identify much with modern day conservatives. I've never held the belief that they don't care about science, though I do recognize that is often the joke.
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Hey, didn't want to start a new thread for this so I will just ask it since I can't figure out how to send a pm.

Have you seen the new site Libertarianism.org | Exploring the theory and history of liberty ?

If you haven't, it is a wonderful educational source on the philosophy and history of being a classical liberal.
 
#21
#21
Oh yeah. I've been there before, though I haven't adequately taken advantage of it. I most often use the Reason foundation and Lew Rockwell as my primary resources.
 
#22
#22
And just to be clear, I identify closely with "traditional" conservatism. Russell Kirk, Barry Goldwater, Pat Buchanan*, etc.

*Other than his inexplicable trade protectionism.
 
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