British physicist Peter Higgs, Nobel Prize winner in physics in 2013 for his work on the “Higgs boson”, died this Monday at the age of 94, the University of Edinburgh announced. He had discovered, with the Belgian François Englert, the Higgs Boson, an elementary particle considered to be the keystone of the fundamental structure of matter.
“He passed away peacefully at his home on Monday April 8 following a short illness“, said the university, of which the scientist was an emeritus professor for a long time, in a press release.
Peter Higgs received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 with the Belgian François Englert. They were rewarded for having laid the theoretical foundations, in 1964, which would lead to the discovery of the boson in 2012 at the Swiss CERN laboratory.
The Higgs boson is considered by physicists to be the keystone of the fundamental structure of matter, the elementary particle which gives their mass to many others, in accordance with the so-called theory of “Standard model“.
In efforts to popularize this discovery, the boson was nicknamed “God particle” because it is everywhere, while being particularly elusive.
“Peter Higgs was a remarkable person – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination enriched our knowledge of the world around us“, underlined Peter Mathieson, director of the University of Edinburgh, quoted in the press release.
“His pioneering work motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come“, he added.