higgs fields

[keirah]

can any1 explain in simple terms the nature of higgs fields? thx

 

keirah

[Calvesy]

Hi, Keirah

The Higgs field is thought to permeate the whole universe and give particles their mass. Imagine a VIP. How would you measure his importance? By the number of bodyguards he would have to take everywhere with him just to maintain his existence. Maybe in the privacy of his hotel room he could be alone but as soon as he steps outside into the field he would be surrounded by his entourage.
An experiment soon to be conducted at CERN in Switzerland will look for decay products of the Higgs boson, the particle that this field uses to interact with matter. Just as the bodyguards may be much more massive than the VIP, nobody knows the mass of Higgs boson itself, only that if it exists it must be bigger and therefore need more energy to create than anything yet seen. With the billions of decay products likely to be produced in the collider, it will be like looking for a certain pattern of straws in a haystack.

[keirah]

thx for your detailed response calvesy  so does it mean that the higgs boson does actually exist or could this be a theoretical particle?

 

thx mate keirah

[Calvesy]

Keirah

The Higgs bozon has been nicknamed 'The God Particle' because it just might be responsible for the maintenance of all matter. Hopefully it will leave more evidence than God for its existence in this experiment. In scientific method, sometimes disproving a theory is more of a result because it stops you barking up the wrong tree.
 In trying to recreate conditions similar to the big bang, the worst thing that could happen is they might accidentally unleash a new universe in the middle of Europe.
 The truth is out there...