Death of the Higgs.
SADLY:- The HIGGS does not confer mass, says CERN; at least not much mass "approximately a fingernail of mass compared to the whole human body"
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I wrote a Higgs update recently, before the excitement of the US Presidential election, and wondered what the news is after 4 months since CERN found it. HAVE FAITH IN THE HIGGS BOSON
This week's New Scientist, Mathew Chalmers, page 34, 10 Nov 12, prints an article THE HIGGS? DAMN... which, in the language of theoretical particle physics, states the uncertainty and puzzlement of scientists about that damned elusive particle and its Field.
The bad news is that CERN will shut down for a refit later this year, for 2 years. Barring a surprise result from current data analyses, it is likely that confirmation of the existence of THE HIGGS will have to wait for CERN 2 to be fired up.
There is no good news. Out of five tests of whether the Higgs fits the required profile, only one is positive and the other four are either NO or DON'T KNOW. Scientists are questioning all the measurements of what CERN found in July 2012 and are revising whether the spin offs (literally) from The Higgs, namely 2 photons, are indeed evidence that the Higgs interacted with The Top Quark (found inside Protons and Neutrons) as theory predicted.
I will try to translate their CERNSPEAK into English, next week. In the meantime we must dwell on the uncertainty. Maybe the Higgs is dying. Maybe if we all clap our hands and shout "I believe in Fairies" it will shine again in the firmament.
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