New data give clearer picture of Higgs boson
Physicists scrutinize latest LHC results to refine knowledge of boson’s properties
CHICAGO — It’s a Higgs boson bonanza for particle physicists, who are capitalizing on the newest data from the Large Hadron Collider to delve more deeply into the particle’s properties. Scientists are keeping a keen eye out for any deviations from the standard model of particle physics, the overarching theory that describes elementary particles and their interactions.
The Higgs boson’s discovery in 2012 (SN: 7/28/12, p.5) filled in the last remaining piece of the standard model, helping to explain how elementary particles obtain their mass. With the newest data from the LHC, near Geneva, scientists have nailed down the Higgs’ properties at the LHC’s newly boosted energy. The results “strengthen the identity card of the Higgs,” says Tiziano Camporesi, spokesperson for CMS, one of the LHC experiments. Camporesi discussed the new results on August 8 at the International Conference on High Energy Physics.