LONDON (AP) – Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs proposed the existence of the so-called “God Particle” A doctor who helped explain how matter formed after the Big Bang has died at the age of 94, the University of Edinburgh announced on Tuesday.
The university, where Higgs was professor emeritus, announced that he passed away on Monday after a short illness.
Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle in 1964, which became known as the Higgs boson. He theorized that there must be subatomic particles of a certain dimension that could explain how other particles, and by extension all the stars and planets in the universe, change. — Gain mass. Without something like this particle, the set of equations that physicists use to describe the world, known as the Standard Model, would not hold.
Higgs research helps scientists understand one of the most fundamental mysteries of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.8 billion years ago. Without mass from the Higgs, particles cannot aggregate into the matter we interact with every day.
But it would be almost 50 years before the particle's existence was confirmed. In 2012, he was one of the biggest events, First advancement in physics in decadesscientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, used the Large Hadron Collider, a $10 billion atom smasher, in a 17-mile (27-kilometer) tunnel beneath the Swiss-French border. Finally, they announced that they had discovered the Higgs particle.
This collider was designed primarily to find the Higgs boson. They create collisions at extremely high energies to mimic some of the conditions that existed in the trillionths of a second after the Big Bang.
Higgs was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work, along with Francois Unglert of Belgium, who independently devised the same theory.
Peter Matheson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said the Newcastle-born Mr Higgs was “an outstanding person and a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination enriched our knowledge of the world around us.” ” he said.
“His pioneering work has inspired thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come.”
Higgs was born on May 29, 1929 in Newcastle, northeast England, and studied at King's College, University of London, where he received his PhD in 1954. He spent much of his career in Edinburgh, becoming a private professor of theoretical physics at a Scottish university. He entered the university in 1980. He retired in 1996.
One of the highlights of Higgs' career was a 2013 presentation at CERN in Geneva, where scientists explained in complex terms that bosons were identified, based on statistical analysis that most laymen couldn't understand. It was announced at He broke down in tears as he wiped his glasses in the auditorium of CERN.
CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti told The Associated Press: “There was a kind of trembling feeling in the audience.” “It was just a unique moment and a unique experience in my professional life.”
“Peter was a very touching person. He was very kind and at the same time very warm. So I'm always interested in what other people said,” she said. “I can listen to other people…I’m open, curious, interested.”
Joel Goldstein, from the University of Bristol's Department of Physics, said: “Peter Higgs was a quiet, unassuming man who was proud of his accomplishments, even though this work underpins the entire modern theoretical framework of particle physics.'' He never seemed satisfied with his fame.”
“I don't think he liked that kind of definition,” Gianotti recalled, recalling that Higgs often resented the term “God particle” for his discoveries. “That wasn't his style.”