Higgs Boson Announcement!

Hey everyone. Not sure how many of you are interested, but coming up at 2 AM Chicago time, an "update" on the Higgs Boson will be streaming live to FermiLab where I am currently working, coming directly from data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland.

This "update" is a huge deal because there is reason to believe that is has been found. And, if it has not been found, then most likely, it will never be found. So that makes this coming July 4th a "make-or-break" day, if you will!

To those of you who are not aware, the Higgs Boson essentially explains why things have mass. It may seem obvious, but really... why do particles have mass? What gives them that property? The Higgs Field and the associated Higgs Boson was theorized to answer that question.

Further, the existence of the Higgs Boson will help complete the Standard Model of Particle Physics, kind of a huge deal! If it's not found... I don't know what will happen to the Standard Model, but something ground-breaking!

Anyway, so with the announcement a bit more than a day away, what do you all think? I think it will be found (or at least I hope so!).

Let me know what you guys think and I will update with news as soon as I get back from the lecture/stream!

So, does this mean that if it's found there would be a huge implications for technology in the decades to come once we understand this thing? I know nothing would happen overnight with it.

Unfortunately... probably not. At least not for a few decades at least, but no one can predict the future. But whether or not it's found, it will deeply affect our understanding of the universe in which we live.

If electrons were never discovered we wouldn't have our nice diode lasers in the high powers we have today or heck probably not any power. You can never know what this understanding will bring.

We had electricity long before we knew about electrons. Point is... this isn't something one encounters regularly. Because it has such a high mass, it is only ever a "free" particle in extraordinarily high-energy interactions like are done at the LHC. Otherwise, it acts as a virtual particle the same way gluons (what "glues" the protons and neutrons together in an atom) and W and Z bosons (what allows for radioactive decay) are: we already know about the effects of whatever it causes, we just aren't sure of the exact cause.

joeyss said:

If electrons were never discovered we wouldn't have our nice diode lasers...

Click to expand...

That's the thing. Regular particles like protons/neutrons/electrons are ubiquitous. Esoteric particles like charm quarks and muon neutrinos don't interact with us on a regular basis and don't have much relevance from a technological perspective.

Not sure if this is related but isn't the Bose Einstein condensate the mechanism that drives the anti gravity generators in the rotating superconductors in the UFO's?

I don't have a physics background but this is really interesting. Wolfman29, I would be curious to know what you think of the video below. There is a lot of discussion of the connection between electromagnetism and gravity, rotating superconductors and some theories and evidence for anti gravity devices based on this.

Please watch and let me know what you think. The presenter in the video offers some VERY interesting ideas! If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, at about 3:40 is where it starts regarding electromagnetism and anti gravity.

They not gonna find the Higgs Boson

While everything is related somehow, the Bose-Einstein Condensate doesn't directly relate to the Higgs very much at all But anyway. On with the post.

I am very surprised I sat through that whole video.

Not to rain on your parade, but from the beginning, it's easy to tell this guy is a crackpot. Secret government NASA work?

Anyway, most of the science he reports seems to be more like pseudoscience. I think the conclusion is that the "nearly infinite" rotational speed of the mercury plasma superfluid (what? mercury cannot become a superfluid? Has too high of a freezing temperature? Funny.) is that rotating matter can create some electromagnetic-like effects, usually called "frame-dragging."

However, the science seems to stop there. Gravitoelectric and gravitomagnetic "forces" are simply analogies useful in some specific instances, such highly massive, highly-rotating bodies, such as fast-rotating black holes.

@Ghost: I kind of want that too, actually. More job security for me!

I do not expect the Higgs Boson, but I do think a new paradigm may soon come...

Oh, and btw, I was lectured by Dr. Feinman back in school in in the mid 70's... didn't believe in quarks, but interesting... -GH

I hope for a paradigm shift too

That was very nice of you to watch it Wolfman, thanks! :beer:

I obviously lack the knowledge in Physics to know that it was bs, but it sure sounded interesting to me though with rotating magnetic fields causing increased gravity for Anti Gravity propulsion.

Now I am kind of embarrassed, I think I'll just slowly stride out of the room on this one. :crackup:

Don't be embarrassed. Pseudoscience is always intriguing because it presents the impossible as simply misunderstood. Don't feel too bad!

This gives me chills just thinking about it. I'll be patiently waiting. Keep us posted.

fields this, particles that. Just because everything else in the universe works that way, doesn't mean everything does. The universe isn't built on mathematics or anything!

I don't understand why they say if it hasn't been found yet, it will never be found. I'm optimistic, though :yh:

The universe is totally built on mathematics!

If it isn't found yet, the idea is that theory eliminates all other options for the Higgs Boson's mass. I.e. it cannot possibly exist at other energy levels.