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The huge ALEPH detector
used by the scientists at CERN in their search for the Higgs Particle
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The Higgs Mechanism
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| The Higgs mechanism has been introduced in particle physics to generate the masses of the fundamental particles, i.e. leptons, quarks and electroweak gauge bosons. Even though the realization of this mechanism in Nature is supported indirectly by several observations, the discovery of the Higgs boson, a scalar particle predicted by the theory, will be a crucial step in establishing this theoretical concept. However, after the particle is discovered, several additional steps must follow to establish the Higgs mechanism sui generis for generating particle masses experimentally. Since the mass of the Higgs boson is theoretically expected in the range below 200 GeV, the prospective e+e- linear collider TESLA is an ideal instrument for this purpose. Measurements of production cross sections and decay widths will allow to determine the properties of the Higgs particle very precisely, in particular the couplings to leptons, quarks and electroweak gauge bosons. Moreover, self-couplings of the Higgs field can be measured in the production processes of Higgs-boson pairs; they are a necessary ingredient for reconstructing the Higgs potential which provides the physical base of the Higgs mechanism. This programme therefore provides the potential for unravelling the problem of mass in Nature. |
| Drawing 1 : To understand the Higgs mechanism, imagine that a room full of physicists quietly chattering is like space filled only with the Higgs field ... |
| Drawing 2 : ... a well known scientist walks in, creating a disturbance as he moves across the room, and attracting a cluster of admirers with each step ... |
| Drawing 3 : ... this increases his resistance to movement, in other words, he acquires mass, just like a particle moving through the Higgs field ... |
| Drawing 4 : ... if a rumour crosses the room ... |
| Drawing 5 ... it creates the same kind of clustering, but this time among the scientists themselves. In this analogy, these clusters are the Higgs particles. |
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My thanks to CERN for the use of this illustrated Explanation
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"What is
the definition of a tachyon"?
" It's a gluon that's not completely dry". |
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Office
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Quiz
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