Beyond Understanding

A Bosun Named Higgs
Using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva the scientists of CERN are seeking publicity and continued funding at a time of austerity by claiming that after some 50 years they are on the verge of finding the elusive theoretical sub-atomic particle named the Higgs boson.

Or not finding it.

The Standard Model
A child of the 1960s.  The mathematics predict particles - all of which have been found except for the Higgs boson which is an important player in the theory as its existence is needed to explain the mass of many of the other particles.

If the Higgs boson is proved not to exist then the Standard Model will fall - and a new one will arise.

The Standard Model II
But even if the Higgs boson is found apparently this will cause problems for the Standard Model because to make the equations work there has to be something else.

One model requires a partner super particle - a sort of super Higgs.   A master particle.  Named after another scientist, perhaps.

A Pugwash captain, or a Bates master?

Gigaelectronvolts (GeV)
Previous colliders have examined particle collisions in the range up to 114 GeV looking for the Higgs boson.

The LHC has ruled out its existence in the range 135 to 500 GeV.

CERN is now looking in the range 114-135GeV. This is said to be precisely the region where, according to the Standard Model, the Higgs would be found.

Which rather begs the question  of why CERN did not use the LHC to examine that range first - working upwards from the range achieved by the smaller colliders.

Boys and their big toys.

Forty Two
The possibility remains that the Higgs bosun might be in the range up to 114 GeV but it was not found by the earlier colliders because their detection systems were not sensitive enough.  So if CERN don’t find it perhaps they should re-run the earlier experiments but in the LHC.

I predict 42 GeV. You read it here first.

Bath Point 5
The Higgs boson possibilities are:-

1. Finding the particle somewhere in the range predicted
2. Finding it outside the range predicted
3. Not finding it
4. Finding proof of the non-existence of the Higgs boson
5. Running out of funds before the experiment is concluded due to the sovereign default of Greece, implosion of the Euro and economic collapse of western Europe.

What a Higgs boson might look like - artist's impression

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.”  Genesis Ch 2 v 1.

“The Atoms of Democritus
And Newton’s Particles of Light
Are sands upon the Red Sea shore
Where Israel’s tents do shine so bright”  William Blake

Running
In this heat?  Forget it.