The Higgs boson is a fundamental particle in the Standard Model of particle physics (the framework that describes the known elementary particles and their interactions). Predicted in the 1960s by physicist Peter Higgs and others, the Higgs boson plays a key role in explaining how particles acquire mass through the Higgs field, an invisible energy field thought to permeate all of space.
Image Credit: Naeblys/Shutterstock.com
Often referred to as the "God Particle," a nickname popularized by physicist Leon Lederman in his 1993 book The God Particle, the term was never meant to imply any religious significance. In fact, Lederman originally wanted to call it the "Goddamn Particle" out of frustration with how elusive it was to detect, but the name was softened for publication. The nickname stuck, highlighting both the particle’s importance and the immense difficulty scientists faced in trying to observe it.
After decades of theoretical work and experimental searches, the Higgs boson was finally discovered in 2012 at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, confirming a crucial part of the Standard Model and marking a milestone in modern physics.
The Higgs Field and Mass
The Higgs boson is the observable excitation of the Higgs field, an invisible energy field that permeates all of space. Particles acquire mass by interacting with this field, with the strength of their interaction determining how massive they become.1
One of the key mechanisms behind the Higgs process is spontaneous symmetry breaking. In technical terms, this occurs within an SU(2) doublet field that possesses a non-zero vacuum expectation value (VEV). This breaking of symmetry enables the W and Z bosons to acquire mass while preserving the mathematical consistency of the Standard Model.2
However, not all particles interact with the Higgs field in the same way. For example, the photon does not couple to the Higgs field at all, which explains why it remains massless.
As for fermions, such as electrons and quarks, they gain mass through a process involving Yukawa couplings. In this framework, a fermion’s mass is directly proportional to the strength of its interaction with the Higgs field; the stronger the coupling, the more massive the particle.3
Download the PDF of the article
Theoretical Background
In 1964, several independent research groups, among them Peter Higgs, François Englert, Robert Brout, Gerald Guralnik, Carl Hagen, and Tom Kibble, developed what is now known as the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism. Their work showed how gauge theories might be reconciled with particles possessing mass.1
This was then integrated into the electroweak Glashow, Salam, and Weinberg theory, which brought together weak and electromagnetic forces.2 The Higgs boson was a predicted consequence of this theoretical structure, something required to make the model work, but for decades, experimental confirmation remained elusive.
Experimental Discovery at CERN
On July 4, 2012, CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) reported the discovery of a new particle that agreed with the Higgs boson. The ATLAS and CMS collaborations independently found independent signals from proton-proton collisions that were consistent with predictions for the production and decay of the Higgs.4
The Higgs boson is extremely short-lived, and thus its existence was identified through its decay products, such as pairs of photons. Both experiments attained a statistical significance in excess of the five-sigma level, the convention adopted for the acceptance of particle discovery.5
This culminated in the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Peter Higgs and François Englert for their theory.
Current Research and Importance
The 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson confirmed how elementary particles gain mass through the Higgs mechanism. Research now focuses on measuring its properties with greater precision. Key areas include:
- Decay channels and branching ratios: Scientists study how the Higgs boson decays into other particles and the probabilities of these decays to check if they match Standard Model predictions.
- Production mechanisms: Experiments test how the Higgs boson is produced under different conditions to ensure the Standard Model holds.
- Coupling strengths: Researchers measure how strongly the Higgs boson interacts with other particles to understand its role in the electroweak framework.6
If measurements significantly differ from Standard Model predictions, it could suggest new physics, possibly related to dark matter. Theories like supersymmetry propose additional Higgs-like particles, which might address issues like the hierarchy problem (why the Higgs mass is much smaller than expected).
Future Directions
At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), researchers are studying rare Higgs boson decays, its self-interaction strength, and the possibility of other scalar particles that could expand the Standard Model.8 These ongoing efforts aim to deepen our understanding of the Higgs boson and identify any deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model. Looking ahead, proposed facilities like the International Linear Collider could provide much more precise measurements of the Higgs boson’s properties. Such advancements may help address some of the most pressing open questions in physics, including the nature of dark matter, the matter–antimatter asymmetry, and whether the Standard Model is truly complete or requires extension.9
Conclusion
The Higgs boson is a crucial part of the Standard Model because it explains how particles acquire mass. Its existence, predicted in the 1960s, was finally confirmed in 2012, a major milestone that validated decades of theoretical work.
Today, experiments continue to explore the Higgs boson’s properties in greater detail, testing whether its behavior aligns with the Standard Model or reveals signs of new physics. While the nickname “God Particle” remains in popular use, the Higgs boson’s real significance lies in its role as a scientific tool; one that could unlock deeper insights into the fundamental workings of the universe and point toward physics beyond our current understanding.
Need to revise your elementary particles? Read on here
References and Further Reading
- Raychaudhuri, S. (2023). The Higgs boson and its physics: An overview. Indian Journal of Physics, 97(11), 3189–3224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12648-023-02718-8
- Englert, F. (2014). The Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism and its scalar boson. In The universe (pp. 63–96). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5217-8_4
- Elwood, A. C. (2017). A search for supersymmetry in √s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions with the CMS detector at the LHC (Doctoral dissertation, Imperial College London). Imperial College London. https://doi.org/10.25560/49220
- Garcia-Abia, P. (2013). CMS standard model Higgs boson results. EPJ Web of Conferences, 60, 02002. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20136002002
- Jakobs, K., & Müller, T. (2013). Die Entdeckung des Higgs-Bosons [The discovery of the Higgs boson]. Physik in unserer Zeit, 44(6), 278–285. https://doi.org/10.1002/piuz.201301356
- Ellis, J. (2015). Before, behind and beyond the discovery of the Higgs boson. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 373(2032), 20140049. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0049
- Horváth, D. (2019). Higgs and BSM studies at the LHC. Universe, 5(7), 160. https://doi.org/10.3390/universe5070160
- Lambert, M. (2022). Higgs boson physics—The view ahead. arXiv Preprint. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2210.00449
- The International Linear Collider Collaboration. (2022). The International Linear Collider: Report to Snowmass 2021. arXiv Preprint. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2203.07622
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.