The Hunt for Higgs

Higgs bosons seem like they're kind of important don't they? When CERN's Large Hadron Collider is fully operational, it will be "smashing" particles into each other at unprecedented speeds and energy levels...hopefully enough to produce a Higgs boson. But if the existence of the Higgs is only theoretical now, how will scientists know if they manage to make one?

This charming game from the Science Museum (London, UK) explains how scientists will be able to determine if they might have created a Higgs boson in the LHC. (Game requires Flash to run)

The Hunt for Higgs

"The God Particle": The Higgs Boson

Although originally provided by the Cassiopeia Project, which is mentioned in another blog post, this video offers an introduction to the Higgs boson.

Why does the Higgs boson get special treatment? Well, the Higgs boson is the "holy grail" of modern particle physics - no one can yet prove it exists, but everyone is looking for it! If it can be found, the Higgs boson may be one of the keys to moving forward with a unified theory of physics. Endeavors to discover the Higgs have prompted more and more impressive scientific advances, culminating with CERN's Large Hadron Collider, which is hoped to be able to generate enough energy for physicists to finally create a Higgs boson in a controlled setting, and observe it for the first time.

So far, however, the "god particle" remains elusively beyond our reach!

"'The God Particle': The Higgs Boson"