2024-04-09 19:07:30
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Caption,
Peter Higgs discovered the boson that bears his name, one of the great milestones of modern physics.
Article information
- Author, Georgina Rannard
- Role, Science Reporter
-
3 hours
British scientist Peter Higgs, the ingenious physicist who discovered the particle known as the Higgs boson, has died at the age of 94.
This giant of British science won the Nobel Prize in 2013 for his revolutionary research, in which he demonstrated how a hitherto unknown boson contributed to maintaining the unity of the universe.
The discovery of the so-called “God particle” is considered one of the greatest achievements of modern physics.
In a statement published this Tuesday, the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, reported that Higgs died on Monday.
The university called Higgs “a truly brilliant scientist, whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge about the world around us.”
In the 1960s, Higgs, along with other physicists, developed an idea to explain why the components of the universe contain matter.
That idea sparked the search for the “holy grail” of physics: a particle that could explain three fundamental forces (electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces) within a single theory.
Professor Brian Cox, a physicist at the University of Manchester and a scientist at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), paid tribute to Higgs through his X account (formerly Twitter): “I was fortunate enough to meet with him several times, and beyond being a famous physicist – I think sometimes, to his own shame – he was always charming and modest.
“His name will be remembered as long as we continue to do physics related to the Higgs boson.”
The “Higgs boson”
image copyrightOPEN
In 2012, scientists used the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland to discover the particle, which they called the Higgs boson.
A year later, Higgs’ work received joint Nobel Prize recognition with Francois Englert of Belgium.
He was a shy man who was uncomfortable with the attention his theory brought him. When the award was announced, he wiped a tear from his eye but told reporters, “It’s good to be right sometimes.”
CERN director Fabiola Gianotti told the BBC: “Peter was a very special person, an immensely inspiring figure for the world’s physicists, a man of rare modesty, a great teacher and someone who explained physics in a way very simple, but very profound.”
“I’m very sad, and I will miss him deeply,” she said.
Alan Barr, professor of physics at Oxford University, paid tribute to the Higgs’ immense impact on our understanding of the universe.
“He proposed the existence of a field that gives the basis to the entire universe, from mass to particles, from electrons to quarks.”
“He was also a great gentleman, humble and polite, always giving credit to others and encouraging future generations of scientists and academics.”
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