The Surprising Truth About the Higgs Boson "Discovery" at CERN
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- Опубліковано 12 тра 2024
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REFERENCES
How Higgs gives mass: • The Crazy Mass-Giving ...
Why the universe is LAZY: • The Startling Reason E...
How Higgs was Discovered: tinyurl.com/yqc7pwz3
Paper on implications of Higgs discovery: tinyurl.com/ykw786pp
CHAPTERS
0:00 "God Particle Found!"
1:18 What are "particles" really?
3:19 Why heavy particles are not stable
5:17 How do we make a Higgs using lighter particles?
6:48 Why the Higgs is so difficult to detect
8:35 How we really "detect" the Higgs
10:56 Most interesting part of the video
11:08 Special offer from Brilliant
12:26 How the Higgs was made at the LHC
SUMMARY
In 2012, the Higgs boson (the God Particle) was discovered. It's responsible for giving mass to fundamental particles. But the scientists never measured the particle. So how can scientists claim a discovery without ever having seen or measured it? What is a measurement anyway?
The Standard Model shows that all fundamental particles that we know of are an excitation in their own field. Since the Higgs particle has a mass of 125 GeV, you must add 125 GeV worth of energy in the Higgs Field to form a Higgs particle. This is a very high energy level, equivalent to the rest mass of about 244,000 electrons.
Making a Higgs is not easy because heavy particles are not stable. They decay to lower mass particles, because the universe intrinsically favors lower mass/energy particles over higher mass particles. The Higgs particle being heavy is unstable and tends to decay into lighter particles.
But mass is only part of the energy of the particle. The combination of rest mass and kinetic energy of ligher particles can add up to the mass of a heavy particle like the Higgs.
This is the principle behind particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva. The LHC actually accelerates protons to do this because it’s a bit easier than electrona since a proton is much heavier at around 1 GeV, so it needs less kinetic energy to create the Higgs particle.
How do you detect the Higgs once it is made? You cannot detect it directly for two reasons. First, two protons collide with the same energy, but in opposite directions. The combined momentum is roughly zero. This means that the created Higgs boson will be roughly stationary in the particle beam. It’s difficult to detect something that doesn’t move because the detectors only picks up particles that fly away from the collision. Secondly, Its lifetime is incredibly short. It decays almost instantly. Thirdly, the Higgs is not a charged particle. Since we generally rely on some electromagnetic interaction to physically detect a particle, it’s not clear how you would detect it even if it could reach the detector.
If all that is true, what did we actually “discover” if no one ever measured a Higgs? You don’t need to measure it to know that it’s there. Essentially, if you smash two protons together and get an event where the sum of the decay products adds up to the mass of the Higgs, then we can reasonably conclude that the event likely created a Higgs particle.
But you might ask, what if the event created random interactions which just happened to yield a decay products equal to the Higgs mass? Yes, that could happen. But if you have many multiple measurements over a long period of time, then you can eliminate the possibility of just random interactions. And in the case of the 2012 announcement, this spike achieved 5 sigma significance, which is the gold standard in particle physics, for determining that a new particle was detected. It is thus as statistically significant discovery.
And it turns out that in there are many other particles, that we also never actually directly measure, because of similar limitations.
For example, the quarks and gluons that make up protons and neutrons, cannot because of the nature of the strong force, ever be directly detected. Yet, scientists still claim we discovered them. They can make this claim because the procedure of their discovery is similar to that of the Higgs.
How is the Higgs Boson produced? The most prominent process used at the Large hadron collider is the gluon fusion process. First, two high energy gluons can be produced by smashing two high energy protons. These can, in some cases, turn into top quarks, and fuse together via a triangle loop. This loop represents top quark, and anti-top quark creation and annihilation. The energy of this annihilation can create a Higgs boson.
#HiggsBoson
#LHC
This Higgs particle of course, as I stated earlier, almost instantly decays. So, what does it decay into? The Higgs decays to form very heavy bottom/anti-bottom quarks, which annihilates into two high energy photons. And the energy of these photons adds up to the mass of the Higgs. The photons is what we actually detect. - Наука та технологія
It was wonderful to hear you say that the universe is inherintly lazy. I fit into this model of existance.
It's true and you even see in humans as well
I tell everyone all the time, through the principle of least action, I am a hero of the universe by extending its functional lifespan.
Me too
I once used this phrase to explain physics to my nephew, who studies philosophy, and he replied, "Stop anthropomorphizing the universe." He has a point. I cringed when Arvin used that phrase. I don't think it's an intelligent phrase to use.
My hydrogeology professor always told us “Mother Nature is lazy” :)
An amazingly clear explanation! I remember learning how to do calculations in quantum field theory without having any idea what it all means. I wish you'd been around then, it'd have been much easier to make sense of the maths.
As a non-physicist I always enjoy Arvins' explanations because they are clear and they keep me interested in the field.
Hello Sabine! I appreciate your clarity as well ❤
Hey it's Sabine! You and Arvin are great, thanks for what you guys do.
Sabine has entered the chat! I want to sincerely thank you and Arvin for your fantastic efforts to explain such deep physics to us. You guys are making a difference!
I found this video and channel thanks to your shout-out... Thank you for helping me find more avenues to increase my knowledge and understanding. ✌️
I wish I had a teacher like this growing up. Enthusiastic, to the point and very matter of fact about these complex topics. In the same breath he acknowledges common doubts and questions with a positive and non confrontational ease. I'm just some regular dude pushing 40 with a wife and family but these videos make my brain tingle in a way that just feels great and brings me back to a time where I was excited to learn but never was afforded during my time in the educational system.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it!
well, the question is whether you would have been interested in topics and math like this while growing up 😁
One of THE best videos on particle physics I have ever seen. Like many others, when I struggled through my Physics degree we had a backboard and, usually, very badly hand written OHP's (don't worry if you don't know what these are - dreadful things!) to deal with. Not only does AA explain things extremely well, the animations add a new dimension which helps the text tremendously. I envy the new generations of students and hope they appreciate just how valuable these productions are.
Thanks Alvin!
The animations are crucial to visually connect abstract concepts and add layers of meaning that help crystalize those ideas into deep solid notions...
But the script is just an absolute jewel - a pure perfectly polished multi-faceted transparent diamond, forged into existence from the slag of every-day language. Seems almost impossible a feat. A legend of literary alchemy. And it makes the rest of us writing our little clumsy comments here seem like toddlers playing with sticks. #GiveArvinAshTheWebby
Outstanding animations as usual, Professor Ash. After watching your videos, I feel like Neo when he learned jiu jitsu.
I like this analogy, Professor Ash is indeed very enlightening! LOL
@@dipling.pitzler7650Yep.
So now you know that science is a religion. Get over it
dawg!
Well said!
So now you know that guns are a religion. Now you know that capitalism is a religion.
Now you know that anti-wokeness is a religion. Now you know that conservatism is a religion.
Now you know that eating meat is a religion. Now you know that fossil fuel addiction is a religion.
Now you know that the WAR AGAINST CYCLISTS & PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION is a religion.
See? I can make stuff up too. But at least MINE, unlike yours, is correct, AND original.@@dongshengdi773
Arvin, you are simply brilliant, thank you so much for giving us your time and enthusiasm.
Really loved the Feynman Diagram explanation and animation at the end, good stuff!
I had never run across these particular Feynman diagrams before. They were a huge help! I've never run across such an excellent educator in physics.
Arvin, this is amazing. Thank you for doing this video as I think a lot of people forget that we don't necessarily have to see something directly to know it's there. This is becoming so much more important as there is so much now in physics we can't directly see, but need to find a way to indeed conclude something is there. I hope the science community keeps going with ways to find things that we can't directly see and each of these discoveries is huge. We will always question things and that's good, but we have to learn to make sure we follow the science that's already been concluded. If something is 5 or 6 sigma we can't dismiss it and say it doesn't exist and do some totally different stuff. The only way we make progress is by following what we have found and building on that. As hard as it is. You can find a billion ways to not find something, but the hardest part is finding the one way to find something. This is where I don't agree with experimentalist that all tests are good as they say the result is progress regardless. But it is not now a days as science has become very difficult and very expensive. A.k.a.......... ITER
I love your videos. I have learnt so much from you. I have honestly contemplated quitting my comfortable job to pursue particle physics just because of your videos.
Great explanation. I was fortunate to tour CERN prior to the official announcement and could read between lines to see that they had made the discovery and were in the process of collecting the statistically significant quantity before making it official. Data processing was impressive in terms of the quantity and that it was processed overnight.
Absolutely fantastic description - so clear and with brilliant graphics. Now to watch it again for things I missed. hank you for your programme.
the channel that keeps on giving, great video, keep it up!
I genuinely look forward to these videos every week, thanks Arvin :)
Happy to hear that!
Finally, a detailed explanation of the 'actual' discovery!
The media back then caused a lot of facepalms when they went with the "God" particle. Every scientist I know *hated* it with a passion 😁
Famed physicist Leon Lederman wrote a book about the Higgs, and titled the book "The goddamn particle" referencing how expensive, frustrating and difficult it was to find.
His publicists however didn't like the idea and at the last minute changed it to "The God Particle", before Lederman had a chance to say anything about it.
@@VikingTeddy no, i like it . they discovered god. all thats left for us to do is believe they did. money well spent
How you simplified this very complex concept is amazing. Thank you.
Great format and presentation style on a pretty complex topic, good job Arvin!
I appreciate how you are honest about what we don't know about physics. Many people teach these subjects as immutable fact, when in actuality there is still so much unknown that could upend everything we currently know. It makes you more relatable as a regular person seeking knowledge rather than just another know it all scientist. (Still acknowledging that you are in fact very informed and knowledgeable and a great teacher)
I have no idea how I bumped onto this channel, but it is a blessing
Seriously...u r BRILLIANT and ur graphics r 2 !!!
Wow! Great job again, Arvin. I am also dazzled by the graphics which are so helpful to get some mental image/understanding of these concepts and no doubt very difficult time consuming to create. Thank you.
This channel is getting better and better... my compliments 😊.
I was at CERN in 2017 in a masterclass setting and learned this first hand. Blew my mind, as the discovery of the Higgs is both mathematically sound while being 100% unsatisfying. I too had to quiet the "bullshit" bandit that kept making its presence known. Luckily my host is one of the greatest at ATLAS so I was ultimately able to take in the science.
The key is..., No, particles. Only excitations. @ArvinAshn, you are Brilliant as always. @SabineHossenfelder is correct..., Where were you back then?!?! Well, thankfully we have you now.
Liked and Subscribed!
The details of the decay process at the end was quite awesome... I was still having just a little nagging doubt about the 5,6 sigma results ( a little part of me was still saying this could be a fluke), but the ending explanation tells quite clearly how it happens and thus how awesome the discovery really is and it cleared all the doubts as well. Thank you sir for this great video💪. Hope you keep adding such technical details in more videos in the future
What literally blows your mind in the decay process: we can predict with what rate the substance decays and with a really huge precision. But absolutely in no way we can predict when decays one chosen particle. It can decay now or at the end of the universe! No way of predicting. And at the same time there is no such notion as "age" for a particle. Every particle of a chosen type is absolutely the same as any other particle of this type.
Wonderful information, Mr Arvin Ash.
I am much indebted to you.
Informative and well done as always.
I’ll never be able to wrap my head around the concept of photons having energy because of the fact they are massless. 🤯
Yes, massless objects can exist. They just have energy. All forms of electromagnetic radiation is composed of this, heat, radio waves, light, etc.
@@ArvinAshphotons, in the right state and circumstance, can become a particle with mass, correct?
@@hogg4229 yes, into a matter/antimatter pair.
When they become matter do they have temporary mass ?
Great stuff! Yea we always need to remember that we aren't seeing reality directly but rather our interpretation of reality through the lens of our senses and our own mind. Could be that there are alien civilizations out there that have a while differently model, every bit as valid as our own, completely depending on how they are measuring and interpreting the results of their inquires. The mental map is not the territory, but rather only a representation of it with varying/unknown degrees of accuracy.
The Higgs boson would decay into matter and antimatter higgs objects first before they become Bottom quarks with a photon. Therefore, the Higgs boson can be the symmetry of those matter and antimatter objects, and they would share a virtual photon to be symmetric.
What would it take to have assurance that aliens existed ? [ to make a possibility ] a craft unlike anything we have ?
@@zwigoma2 While there's abundant evidence suggesting aliens are already here, I guess we'd need hard evidence independently verified by multiple agencies, but even then, they could be lying. A living breathing alien see in person would do it I guess.
Thank you for your amazing content! My confidence in yt always goes up when I come across videos like this.
Carry on putting out the great work and sharing knowledge
"Wait a minute, this is all bullshit!" Made me laugh out loud! Wonder video, thank you!
Yeah after I learned more about physics, and science in general, I realized what does "seeing" something even mean. But, of course, we're human and it's natural. Like the JWST, we can't "see" anything it's seeing, although I wish we could 😃 Another excellent one Arvin, thanks!
Well, both eyes and LHC are kinda doing the "same" thing.
Let me explain...
When animals (including us) see an object, what's happening is that the quantum particles of light (i.e. photons) coming from the object hit the quantum particles that make up our eyes. The energy transfer from these collisions kicks off a chemical chain-reaction, starting from the retina, through the optic nerves, and to the brain. We experience this chemical process as sight i.e. we see the object from which the photons came.
In other words, sight of an object is caused by the interaction/detection of photons coming from that object.
The LHC discovered the Higgs-Boson by the interaction/detection of photons coming from Higgs-Boson.
So, in a way, the LHC did see the Higgs-Boson.
With "seeing" we have a big problem when we go to microsizes. In order to see we have to light the object. But light is also a particle - photon. In other words, we make the object interact with another particle and "see" the result of this interaction and not the initial object. Another big problem: the huge difference in sizes of visible light photons and, for instance, an electron. The electron is much much smaller. So in no way we can't see the electron.
Excellent video as usual! I have been wondering about this ☺️
This is the definition of profound..great video👍🏼
That's super interesting - I love these detailed explanations. To put the numbers into perspective (like you did for the ratio from Higgs to electron), I suggest adding a human-relatable reference. For example, for the 10^-22 lifespan of a Higgs particle, the age of the universe is 10^17 in seconds, so the Higgs would experience 10^5 universe lifetimes (in seconds) compared to 1 human second - it degrades that fast, which is still mind-boggling 10^22 times more than the plank time.
It would also be interesting to know the frequency of the emitted photons from the Higgs decay vs the frequency of the gamma rays from supernova or antimatter/matter collusion.
It would also be interesting to understand the energy multiples between the various particle flavours (ie electrons) and how they are manifested in the quantum fields; or why we think specific fields interact with only other fields - and how.
Frequency of one of those decay photons (about 1.5*10^25Hz) is higher than the most energetic gamma ray photon ever recorded (GRB 970508) which had roughly a frequency of 10^24 Hz. So you wouldn't expect to see a lot of those around.
What you describe in your last sentence is a very hard problem in particle physics, namely how to explain the mass-ratios of the fundmental particles. Afaik, these masses are free parameters in the standard model, which means they cannot be derived from theory but must be measured.
Could also add, even if the created Higgs boson wasn't stationary, but was actually travelling at light speed, in 10^-22 sec it would only travel 10^-14m - ie, way less than a nanometer- and could never hope to reach a detector directly.
Its existence NEEDS to be inferred from its decay products.
@@95ravHiggs bosons do actually have momentum (they gain momentum from the collision which is moving at near light speed after all) and measuring it (the transverse, or perpendicular, momentum of its decay products) helps physicists determine its properties.
It was the first I heard the Higgs remains essentially stationary and never moves toward the detector with ~0 momentum. That was interesting.
I had always heard the usual that near-instant decay was the process why Higgs wasn't detected directly, but the lack of momentum was indeed interesting to me.
The Higgs boson does have momentum, it is produced by particles moving very quickly. It doesn't move very far before it decays but it still has quite a large momentum.
Brilliant Video, thanks Arvin :)
This video is awesome, thanks Arvin!
This man gives the best and digestible explanation of theses complicated subjects, And I can say that with a gazzillion sigma of statistical significance.
The more I learn about the Higgs "discovery" back in 2012 and how it dictates the mass of particles within it's field, the more I think it was a discovery of justification. It justified the huge cost of the LHC and then managed to justifiy further billions for upgrades.
yep!!!
Thanks for posting!🎉🎉
Great presentation. Informative and concise.
Physics is does not guarantee the truth, but only the most reasonable explanation for the observations we make .
yep!!!
The graphics and the explanation on this video was truly amazing. Thank you for the video. I have one question, is there a reason that particles exist at just specific amounts of energy ( like 125, and etc) and if we call these amounts of energy, particles, then the energy in-between these numbers should be particles as well even though they might not last long and are there infinite particle fields that we can only detect some of them because of the available particles (like photon) we are using to detect them? And how do they shoot particles like protons and make sure they will collide?
The reason for those specific numbers is that those are the fundamental excitation energies of the underlying quantum fields. If you hit the electron field with 511 keV it will resonate and "spit out" an electron. If you give it more than that, the resulting electron will just be faster until you hit the field with 2 * 511keV, at which point it will "spit out" 2 electrons.
One of the biggest problems in particlephysics is why the ratios between the masses of the fundamental particles are the way they are, which cannot be derived from theory but must be measured.
@@quitchibooInteresting, thank you for the reply.
Love the visuals brother.
I guess this is the best channel on youtube with simplest-but-not-simpler-than-necessary explanation of complex stuff...
Imagine if gravity somehow worked like this: Big masses like sun and Earth would repel/stretch the Higgs Field. And by doing that, it would make the particles moving toward the big object, lose mass, and move faster.
You know, without the Higgs Field, particles do not have mass, and move to speed of light.
Photons and other massless particles don't interact with Higgs field, but still follow curvature of spacetime which is gravity in GR (see "gravitational lensing"). So spacetime curvature must be a different thing than Higgs field.
@@thedeemon not having mass and not interacting with spacetime are two different things. Photons still have to follow the curvature of spacetime, which is caused by mass.
So, yes, spacetime curvature isnt the higgs field
what i can imagine is the higgs field gives mass to particles the same way as a scale gives you 100kg when u stand on it.
if the scale was suddenly removed u would lose mass. which would make u speed up and hit the ground.
The experiment couldn't have been done without the theory being solid. Great work by the theorists.
The experiment could have been done without knowing the theory at all. Probably 99% of all science progresses by conducting experiments and observing new and unexpected results, rather than having theories and then building experiments to test the theories. Not every scientist is an Einstein, who came up with correct theories before any test existed. But even Einstein sometimes came up with theories after experiments, such as when he uncovered the photoelectric effect when he was expecting a completely different result.
@@TheNameOfJesus That is the case when the theory is incomplete (e.g. quantum gravity), however, for this experiment, the rest mass of the Higgs had to be known theoretically to know where the spike in data should be.
I guess sometimes theory comes first and sometimes experiments reveal new ideas to help complete a theory.
@@surajvkothari I don't consider "quantum gravity" to be a theory, because there are no formulas for it, or data suggesting it... it's just two words: "quantum gravity." For something to be a theory it needs more than a title. The "multiverse theory" should also not be called a theory, because there's neither data supporting it nor a formula describing it. I suppose you could call "alien life" a theory because at least there are some unidentified aerial phenomena. It's still a weak theory, but there is a small amount of data pointing in its direction. Even if they didn't have the Higgs theory, they still would have noticed the spike and then probably would have come up with the theory. They didn't need the theory to observe the spike. But sure, they had to have the theory in advance to "know where the spike should be." The theory predicting the spike was great, and adds credibility to the theory, but they didn't need the theory to observe the data that now supports it.
Thanks Arvin, for another great video.
I was waiting for your videos ❤
Would you do a simulation, not with diagrams, but as it we think it happens, adjusting of course the speed of animation conveniently. I would love to see two protons smashing, then see the Higgs particle living for a while, then decaying, etc. Thanks!! Fan of your work, always wonderful
All dislikes are flat earthers who only trust their eyes for answers.
This entire framework/paradigm is retarded. Flat earthers are traumatized by the stupidity so they assume everything is wrong. If you understand this stuff, you can’t blame Flat earthers for jumping ship
Keep up the great work
😼
Great episode. Thanks, Arvin!
Nice one. "Physics does not guarantee the truth, only the most reasonable explanation...". And when a more reasonable explanation is found, the truth follows suit.
Anyway, we don't need hard unequivocal Humean "evidence for reality", which is flawed as a standard, but rather we can all agree we exist from the weight of subjective evidence similarly aligning with the experience of others. We exist, people. Get over that skepticism that ye only have because of the incredible evolution of our thinking power.
Cogito ergo sum
Get over it
@@dongshengdi773cogito ergo sum
isn't there something ye think _about_@@dongshengdi773
what do ye think _about_ ?@@augustodelerme7233
n o n s e n s e@@dongshengdi773
Gosh, the amazing facts of scientific study keep coming. Thanks Arvin Ash.
Arvin, this one's great pretty, like all others. Keep 'em coming please!! Can you also make a video about how the 173 GeV particle was discovered?
You showed me something I thought I'd never understand. Brilliant!
Excellent content about quantum science. I read a couple of books about this amazing subject and I found this video very illustrative. Thank u
Sir, you are producing some incredible content. It reeks of sincerity. Thank you.
Bravo! Great explanation.
Thanks! I didn't know much about Higgs and would love to learn even more.
This was the best ever on the topic.🧿👏🏻
I just wanted to express my excitement and anticipation for your upcoming video on attophysics, especially considering the recent Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs in the field, particularly the fascinating topic of attosecond pulses of light (Electrons in pulses of light). Your insights are always insightful and engaging, and I can't wait to learn more about these cutting-edge developments.
Please continue your work sir. Your videos are awesome
Beautiful and mindblowing 🙏🏼
Thank you for your effort to make us to understand completely from bottom of subject .
God bless you
That was a very clear explanation thank you.
Wow this video was really good!
Another great video!
The number one confusing thing for people in my experience that I get asked the most when they watch videos like this is the heavy use of phrases like "10 times 3 to the power of negative 6".
People that don't deal with numbers written like that, have no idea if that's a big number, a small number, and everything said after that is lost because they can't follow along anymore.
Just a quick explanation of that, even though it might seem silly, would go a long way of helping even more people follow along in these videos.
"We smash things together and get a result."
Proof that we're all just big kids at heart. 😊
Very good explanation Arvin. If awards were given for best presenter at clearly explaining complex physics topics on UA-cam, you would win hands down! 👍🏻👍🏻🏆
I just love your videos, the way you explain stuff.... tomorrow is my exam still watching your videos.... 😊
Thank you for another great video Arvin! Is it fair to say that the only field that we can actually measure is the electromagnetic field?
Very pleasant and easy to follow explanation.
Great explanation!
Absolutely wonderful lecture
amazing stuff. Thank you.
amazing as always 👏🏻🇧🇷
This was so clearly explained. Love to learn physics this way.
Conclusion is very well said 👍
Wonderful! Thank you!
Great one!
Doc Ash at his best... loved this one..
Very cool, thank you for this explanation.
brilliant vid
I love you🤗. Thank you for your lovely explanation
Thank you🌹for the very clear explanation.
This video made a whole lot of sense to me, and think I understand it a bit better. Not like I doubted the discovery, but now I have a better sense of how it works.
I did not expect to hear you curse on this 😂 another great video again thanks 👌🏻
That was bloody brilliant!
Excellent explanation Sir. Thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Sabine sent me to this channel, happy to have one more source now, to become smarter and smarter. Nothing is more fascinating like the foundation of science.Very good layperson explanation 😊
This channel is amazing. Should have discovered it a long time ago! I always was skeptical about using the word "discovery" when it came to the Higgs boson, but finally, I understand what was going on to produce the experimental evidence. Without the excellent illustrations, I would still be confused.
i remember watching the livestream when the announcement happened. literally cried
Great video thanks!!
this is your best video, by far
At the end of this video you gave a very wonderful statement. ❤
Excellent assertions!
A tour-de-force as usual, thank you!
I agree with Sabine!!! Thanks!