Exploring the Higgs Particle: Dynamics and Properties

In summary, the Higgs boson is a particle that was introduced by P. Higgs. It is a spontaneous symmetry breaking particle that was also constructed by Robert Brout and Francois Englert. One question that has been asked is on the dynamics involved dealing with this concept. It is hoped that CERN/LHC will go online in 2008 and that this will be a realistic projection.
  • #1
Cheryl42s
7
0
The Higgs boson introduced by P. Higgs (insert --> the spontaneous symmetry breaking with the gauge theories was also constructed by Robert Brout & Francois Englert) one question I have is on the dynamics involved dealing with this concept.

Could someone please explain the properties/mechanics of the Higgs particle in oder for them to recognize one? I believe that CERN/LHC will go online in 2008 is this a realistic projection.

Regards,
Cheryl :smile:
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Hi Cheryl, this is my understanding of how this works:

The Higgs is one of those particles that can't be detected directly because it will not tend to survive long enough to hit a detector. This is okay because we can calculate, when the particle decays, what it decays into. So if you look in the right places, you will find descriptions of the various paths for "production" of various kinds of particles. The idea is that at a certain energy scale there are a certain number of ways a Higgs could come into being, and a certain number of things that are likely to happen when a Higgs is produced. Since we know a lot about the Higgs, we can calculate ahead of time what those things will be.

I can't find right now a description of the paths we'll likely see at the LHC, but here's a description of how they're looking for the Higgs at the Tevatron, from the blog of a scientist there, which should give you a rough idea.

The short version of the Tevatron description as I'm reading it is: the Tevatron particles crash, and the energy of that crash could produce a number of things. Among the things it could produce is a Higgs, or it could also produce a W Boson and a Higgs, or maybe a Z Boson and also a Higgs. Meanwhile, once the Higgs comes into being, it will last for a certain amount of time, after which it could decay into a b-quark and a b-anti-quark, or it could decay into a pair of W bosons. Of course, the W bosons and such aren't directly observable either! They decay into other things... some of which decay into other things... eventually, all this decaying is done, and the particles that are left over are long-lived ("long-lived" meaning "long enough to travel a a few feet away to the detector") things like neutrinos. THESE are the things that the detector detects!

So basically, you're running this detector. With each collision you get a weird smattering of particles hitting the detector, and for each particle your detector registers things like its energy, its angle, whatever. And you sit down with a mathematical model that has a long, long list of all the different things that could possibly be produced in a collision; and for each of those things that could be produced, it has a list of "decay channels" (or in other words, a list of final states, saying for example that after all the decaying is done, you'll get 4 particles of this type arriving at these sorts of angles at this time, and then 3 particles of this other type arriving... etc). Each of these productions will have a different probability, and each decay channel/final state will have a different probability of resulting from its initial particle production.

So you try to match up the things your detector found, with these final states. Because so much of your model is based on probabilities, you have to do this statistically-- you have to measure a huge number of events, and then you measure whether the number of events of each type that you saw was close to the number of events of each type that your model predicts will occur on average. You ask, was the final tally of events closer on average to what the model tells us we'd see if no Higgs are being produced? Or is it closer to what the model tells us we'd see if the Higgs was being produced? Or is something else entirely happening?

Does that all make sense? I am pretty sure if you look around you could find a more specific description of the decay channels that the LHC itself will be looking for. (Dorigo links this site which supposedly contains some kind of catalog of decay channels for different kinds of particles, but I can't quite seem to find that data...)
 
  • #3
Coin,
Thank you very much for the time you have taken in explaining. It was very clear, and understandable for this I am grateful.

Please let me read the information given and will be in contact after. This is very important to me resulting from a paper I am working on my advisor has been helpful, yet I would like to see what other direction can be taken dealing with Higgs is possible if any?

Now I must do my part in researching what you have explained, and the references shared.
 
Last edited:
  • #4
Cheryl, okay, good luck. For the record you might have slightly better luck asking about such things in this forum's HEP and particle physics board. (Remember, the Higgs Boson is not technically "beyond the standard model" since the traditional single-Higgs mechanism is a fundamental part of the standard model.)
 
Last edited:
  • #5
Coin, I understand and I will take your advice in posting. Being new I hope I have not caused any problems for this thread & your direction is very appreciated.
 

1. What is the Higgs particle and why is it important in physics?

The Higgs particle, also known as the Higgs boson, is a subatomic particle that was first theorized in the 1960s by physicist Peter Higgs. It is a crucial component of the Standard Model of particle physics and is responsible for giving other particles mass. Its discovery in 2012 confirmed the existence of the Higgs field, which is believed to permeate the entire universe and give particles their mass. Understanding the Higgs particle and its properties is important in furthering our understanding of the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

2. How was the Higgs particle discovered?

The Higgs particle was discovered in 2012 by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The LHC is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, where particles are collided at high speeds to recreate the conditions of the early universe. The collision of protons at high energies produced enough energy to create and detect the Higgs particle, confirming its existence.

3. What are the properties of the Higgs particle?

The Higgs particle has a mass of approximately 125 GeV (gigaelectronvolts) and a spin of 0. It is a boson, which means it follows Bose-Einstein statistics and carries a force. The Higgs boson is also unstable and quickly decays into other particles after it is created. Its properties are still being studied and further research is needed to fully understand its behavior.

4. How does the Higgs particle interact with other particles?

The Higgs particle interacts with other particles through the Higgs field, which gives particles their mass. Particles with more mass interact more strongly with the Higgs field, while particles with less mass interact less. This is why some particles, such as the top quark, have a much greater mass than others. The Higgs particle also interacts with itself, which is important in understanding the dynamics of the Higgs field.

5. What are the implications of the Higgs particle on our understanding of the universe?

The discovery of the Higgs particle has confirmed the Standard Model of particle physics and has provided a deeper understanding of the fundamental particles and forces in the universe. It has also opened up new areas of research, such as the study of the Higgs field and its role in the universe. Additionally, the Higgs particle is believed to have played a crucial role in the formation of the early universe and may hold clues to understanding the origin of mass and the structure of the universe.

Similar threads

  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
0
Views
903
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
16
Views
4K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
5
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Back
Top