Higgs Boson Found (Something Like The Force)
CERN (where the modern Internet was born) has just announced that they’ve discovered a Higgs boson particle. Physics is CERN’s day job and they built the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider to find this one particular particle. The search was both expensive and was feared to possible create black holes on earth. The more reasonable fear was that they wouldn’t find anything at all, but now it seems they have. So what on earth have they found?
The Higgs Field
According to Standard Model physics, elementary particles can’t have any mass. But they do. For measurements to match the theory (or vice versa I guess), scientists posited the existence of something called a Higgs Field. This interacts with particles to give them mass. In the Guardian video above they liken this to pouring sugar across a massless universe, giving particles drag, which gives them mass. Pour some sugar on me, if you know what I’m saying. The non-technical Wikipedia overview is also quite helpful.
So, they run the math again and it checks out AND makes one testable prediction. If there is this sort of Higgs Field then there should be another particle – the Higgs Boson. If you can find this particle, then you can ‘prove’ the theory, tho in effect it really just gives you more interesting questions. So, how to find this particle? Basically smash stuff together (in a controlled manner) and it should pop up. Which is what the Large Hadron Collider does – it spins photons around kilometers of tubes, smashes them together and sees what pops up.
And apparently a Higgs Boson has.
What does this mean? Well, besides sorta validating Standard Model physics, it means that there is some sort of force permeating the universe. Not the force force, the Star Wars one created by living beings. But some sort of thing which takes the universe from pure, massless energy to matter. Which is still pretty trippy on a spiritual level. Science is wonderful.
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
The chutzpah of this government knows no bounds. Every government since Independence has had to balance placating Sinhala nationalists (AKA racists) while at the same time actually running a sensible, inclusive nation that doesn’t send minority citizens, capital and foreign investment fleeing. Basically, they’ve had to pay lip service to nationalists while at the same time trying to run an actual nation. Every government has also generally failed, SWRD being killed by a nationalist monk and everyone after almost losing the country to various rebellions. In that context Mahinda is actually doing a better job by virtue of not being dead and not losing control of the country. But he’s still not doing a good job.
[...] can leverage up $3 billion these days. For reference, that’s about 1/3rd the cost of the Large Hadron Collider. Also, as a note, I have real difficulty not spelling that Hardon [...]
Physics is just awesome!!! Did you see the SIZE of those detectors???? Mind boggling. I can’t imagine how they did it??? 8000 odd scientists working in unison. Why can’t WE do even simple scientific experiment. Maybe because they are all White?? I dunno. I always ask this question from myself. Why can’t Sri Lankans work together on something? I can remember when I was at Colombo University. The fighting between the faculty members were on the border of being insane. Nalin de Silva was kicked out because he was teaching Jaathika Chinthanaya. Dr. Ajantha Perera was kicked out by the rest of the old ladies of the faculty because she was becoming popular with the students. Chandaanda Jayaratna was sidelined because he started giving comments and opinions to the papers. Lots of other stuff happened. Lots of backstabbing and cutting (beli kapili). The MAIN reason is popularity. the moment one person becomes popular, others all get together and cuts that person. Lots of “kala paththaras” also went around. Mind you, this was between staff, NO students involved. It is just comical. I think we have an evolutionary problem here. Otherwise why this sort of 3rd class behavior. But then again we ARE the 3rd world no!!! Not surprising then.
Wherever Nalin de Silva is, they don’t have to worry about scientific research. Gods like “Naatha” will do all their research work.
“Which is still pretty trippy on a spiritual level.”
I hate this sort of thing. A scientific discovery like this destroys a mystery, out of which you should get a kick. But you get a kick for all the wrong reasons. Somehow, finding out more about the universe, has made the universe a little bit more mysterious to you. Mystery is nothing but your own ignorance. So now you go about worshiping your own ignorance.
Either that or I’m completely misreading you. Maybe you are genuine science buff who likes destroying mysteries.
Don’t forget the ‘other name’ for Higgs Boson is ‘God Particle’. ;-)
It was called the “God Particle” coz we didnt had any evidence of its existence prior to this experiment. Perhaps they should stop calling it the god particle now
I thought it was because it was the starting point of the big bang.
My memory of the story of creation in the Bible seems to have some parallels to the scientific explanation.
It starts with a dark void and the spirit of God hovering over the “water” (Energy? ) Then God’s will, the words, “Let there be light” (Higgs Boson?) Then he separated light from darkness, created the firmament or heavens (space) and later made land, the earth, appear, separating it from the “water”.
(And now, I wait for Dodot, to come and pooh-pooh all that. )
Seriously Shammi!
Gotcha!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2012/jul/04/cern-higss-boson-god-particle-poll?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
Mahinda wants it named Buddha particle! oops sorry Mahinda particle.
[...] be the boson, named after Satyendra Nath Bose, who the elementary particle is named after. The Higgs Boson (or boson) has been in the news for being discovered, showing that Standard Model Physics kinda [...]