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Image depicting Higgs boson spotted dancing with funny particles!

Higgs boson spotted dancing with funny particles!

 

Recommended for Secondary Grades

Hey there, little physicist! Get ready for a wacky adventure into the world of subatomic particles! So, some really smart scientists have been using a ginormous machine called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to explore the tiniest building blocks of our universe. They discovered a super special particle called the Higgs boson, which is like a force-carrying superhero particle.

Now, these scientists have made an amazing discovery. They found out that the Higgs boson can do something really rare and cool. It can decay into another particle called the Z boson and a photon, which is a particle of light. It’s like the Higgs boson is throwing a fabulous particle party!

Particle Party Mysteries!

  • But wait, there’s more to the story. The Higgs boson is like the boss of mass. You know how some things are heavy, like a bag of rocks, and some things are light, like a feather? Well, the Higgs boson is responsible for giving particles their mass. It’s like a mass magician! The more a particle interacts with the Higgs boson, the heavier it becomes. It’s the reason why electrons, protons, and neutrons have different masses.

  • But here’s the interesting part. The Higgs boson, even though it’s the master of mass, is actually quite heavy itself! It’s so heavy that it can’t stick around for too long. It quickly decays into lighter particles, like the Z boson and a photon. It’s like the Higgs boson is playing a game of “now you see me, now you don’t” with the other particles.

  • Now, these scientists wanted to catch the Higgs boson in the act of decaying into a Z boson and a photon. But it’s like finding a needle in a haystack! They needed to create lots and lots of Higgs bosons to have a chance of spotting just one of them doing this rare decay. It’s like trying to find a hidden treasure in a giant pile of socks!

  • Finally, after years of searching, they combined their data from two super-duper detectors called ATLAS and CMS. With this combined data, they could say, “Aha! We found it!” But they still can’t be 100% sure. The Higgs boson likes to keep its decays pretty rare and mysterious.

  • Why are they so excited about this discovery? Well, it’s because they want to test a theory called the Standard Model, which is like a rulebook for particles. The Standard Model has been super accurate, but there are still some mysteries it can’t explain, like dark matter and why the Higgs boson is so heavy. So, by studying these rare decays, scientists hope to find clues that will lead them to new mind-boggling discoveries.

  • So, dear reader, isn’t it amazing how a tiny particle can hold so many secrets about the universe? Who knows what other surprises are waiting to be uncovered by these brilliant scientists? Keep your eyes open and your curiosity alive because the world of physics is full of surprises!

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Watch a video

View a TED-Ed video providing an explanation of the Higgs boson.

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