Now, scientists working with the world's largest accelerator, announced the discovery of subatomic particles that looks remarkably similar to the long-awaited Higgs boson. Media around the world have lost their legs, explaining that this means that the public school is not kept in the hands of the textbook on physics. The Guardian even offered the readers to learn a set of phrases that should be used in the presence of parents did not understand, understand all physicists or indifferent to what is happening believers.

Francois Engler (left) and Peter Higgs accept congratulations.

If you really want to impress, it is expressed like this: "the Higgs boson is an elementary scalar particle, first postulated in 1962 as a possible side mechanism by which the hypothetical everywhere present quantum field - the so-called Higgs field - gives mass of elementary particles. To be more precise, in the Standard model of particle physics, the existence of the Higgs boson explains the origin of spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry in nature".

People honestly trying to understand why physics jump for joy, but very poorly familiar with science, you can offer this explanation: "Everything is made of atoms inside atoms are electrons, protons and neutrons, which, in turn, consist of quarks and other subatomic particles. Scientists have long puzzled over how these tiny building blocks of the Universe acquire mass, because without the mass of a particle could not stay together and in the world, there was nothing: all particles would continue to fly at the speed of light".

If the questions are not present, proceed as follows: "In 1960-ies English physicist Peter Higgs, and two independent from him and from each other research groups from Belgium and the United States put forward a hypothesis about the existence of particles that creates a special "sticky" field, which inhibits the remaining particles. Experiments conducted at the European center for nuclear research (CERN) Large hadron Collider, in which elementary particles collided at great speed and decayed into other particles, has revealed a hint of the existence of particles, which is very similar to the predicted Higgs boson".

Next, don't forget to tell what highglossy particle is in a huge number of equations underlying theories that explain the existence of the universe in the form in which we have here and now. If the hypothesis of the Higgs boson was a mistake, all these theories would have to be radically revised. At the same time, you should note that the characteristics of the observed particles slightly at odds with the predictions of the Standard model of particle physics. It's even good, for thereby the possibility of new discoveries, including in the framework of the theory of supersymmetry, which suggests that the particles do not exist in pairs (matter - antimatter)and fours.

About the importance of opening can be seen from the statement by Martinus of Veltman, the Nobel prize winner, 1999, which stated that before the discovery of the Higgs boson in the framework of the Standard model do nothing more.

Then tired interlocutor will probably ask, what follows from this benefit. If he does not suffer from dementia and at least a little educated, he doesn't need to explain that human life is not solely limited to practical activities, and therefore makes no sense to demand this from science. But the question has the right to exist, and you can honestly say that direct practical implication of this is not opened. But indirectly it is the search for the Higgs boson largely turned our lives. The fact that this was done by thousands of scientists and support staff from around the world. They had to make more efficient the process of information exchange in the so - called world wide web, that is, all of us familiar Internet. In addition, we had to handle huge amounts of data - the result has been developed the technology of distributed computing in which a task is impossible for a single computer, decide hundreds and thousands of machines, scattered around the world. Finally, the search for the Higgs boson has allowed to make important steps in the development of methods of capturing solar energy, x-rays and proton therapy used in Oncology.

As for the theoretical values, the discovery of the Higgs boson could shed light not only on the questions of physics of elementary particles, but also on the cosmological problems associated with the inflation model baryon asymmetry, dark matter, accelerated expansion of the Universe.

After that, not ashamed to say that the Large hadron Collider "ate" about $10 billion

Peter Higgs congratulates Fabiola Gianotti.

During the conversation, between the case may mention that the 83-year-old Peter Higgs alive and very shy when boson call his name. At the same time, it is as old atheist does not agree with the trademark boson as the "God particle", jokingly proposed by physicist Leon Lederman.

Out of all the magnificent "six" of scientists, postulirovana highcost particle, died (and then only in 2011, in ' 82) only Belgian Robert Brout. His colleague Francois Engler (79 years old), together with the Higgs was present at CERN on the historic announcement of the results. Live and participants of the third group - Americans Gerald Guralnick (75), Carl "dick" Hagen (75) and Briton Tom Kibble (80). The Nobel Committee will have a difficult task, because the prize can be shared only between the three winners. And to honor attention should also merit of those who led the experiments at the Large hadron Collider and the analysis of the obtained data. (And what Higgs, Engler and Braut in 2004 he received the wolf Prize, the second most prestigious after the Nobel should not play any role, because winning is never enough.)

Fortunately for the jury, American Philip Anderson (88 years old and lives), who proposed that later became known as the Higgs mechanism, the Nobel prize has already received in 1977)

By the way, the ceremony (more precisely, only a seminar) at CERN (and this, too, can tell) coincided with the holding in Lindau (Germany) 62nd meeting of Nobel prize winners. Of course, the participants could not ignore this event. David gross, awarded in 2004, recalled that opened not the Higgs boson, and highglossy particle: "It's not THE Higgs boson but A Higgs". To prove that this is the Higgs boson, predicted the simplest variant of the Standard model, researchers need to measure (which is quite possible in the next three months Tank) two things - spin and the decay rate relative to the mass of steam particles.

Three months later, the TANK will be stopped for planned repairs for two years and then will be able to work at higher energies. What's next? The conference participants pointed to each other on the fact that the results do not only strengthen the positions of the Standard model, but also raise new questions. Mr. gross was saying that there is research "Higgs sector". According to him, the Collider covered in only 2% of events is subject to registration in the course of the entire program of experiments for which it was built. Best of all, says Mr. gross, the properties of the new particles would clarify the collision of electrons and positrons, but to implement it in the Tank is very difficult. A good reason to create a new accelerator!

In the center - Director General of CERN, Rolf Heuer.