The Higgs boson particle – digested
The Higgs boson particle – digested
The secret of life and the universe, explained by our science editor
An experimental result in the search for the Higgs boson particle, released by Cern.
In the aftermath of the big bang that flung the universe into existence 13.82bn years ago, the forces of nature were one. But as the universe expanded and cooled, they separated out into the four seen today. The electromagnetic force, which is carried by photons, allows you to see, and stops you falling through your chair.
The strong force holds atomic nuclei together. The weak force goes to work in the sun and helps to make it shine. Then there is gravity, which is not really a force at all, but that is for another time.
One trillionth of a second after the big bang, an invisible field that spread throughout space switched on. This Higgs field wrenched two intertwined forces apart – the weak force and the electromagnetic force. How? By making the particles that carry the weak force heavy, while leaving the photon weightless.
The weak force travels less than the width of an atom, but the electromagnetic force ranges over an infinite distance.
The Higgs field gives mass to other particles too, such as quarks and electrons, the building blocks of atoms. The Higgs boson comes with the field, a subatomic smoking gun that proves the field is there.
