The Higgs Boson Explained

On Friday July 13 at noon, faculty and other members of the Physics Department helped the campus community understand the significance of discovering the Higgs Boson, the particle that was predicted by Peter Higgs almost 50 years ago. Mark Richards, Executive Dean of the College of Letters & Sciences, will host this discussion for the Berkeley community.
Professors Beate Heinemann, an experimental physicist and a member of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in CERN, Switzerland, and Lawrence Hall, a theoretical physicist and former Director of the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics, explained what the Higgs is, why it was predicted and how it was proven to exist. They were joined by panel members Professor Marjorie Shapiro, also a member of the Atlas experiment, Miller Fellow Josh Ruderman and PhD student and ATLAS member Louise Skinnari.

[@philipwesley4]

good idea to skip to 10.45 if you want to miss a very lengthy set of personal introductions

[@Bobbymohs]

Philip Wesley V4

[@stephenshortnacy]

10:45

[@julianreese6021]

A tip: you can watch movies at Flixzone. Been using them for watching loads of movies recently.

[@shepardhudson4528]

@Julian Reese definitely, been using flixzone for months myself =)

[@landrygael8473]

@Julian Reese Yup, I have been using flixzone for since november myself :)

[@krischurch5677]

Awesome lecture. Love the humour and audience engagement with it too. Thank you

[@sfsoma]

Excellent presentation and discussion. Interesting group of scientists together. Thanks

[@tellit2urmomma]

Can't believe I am watching this late at night and find it more entertaining than my Xbox 360

[@brainstormingsharing1309]

Absolutely well done and definitely keep it up!!! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@Spjungen]

Couldn't have said it better myself... *applauds* Kudos, my friend.

[@chriscraft77022]

no nerds can ever put it into perspective.. all these guys are are people with good memories..

[@ashok0429]

Most fascinating experience !

[@2blakarrow]

Thank you for your support. Especially a future astrophysicist such as myself. My intended path: Chabot Community College -> UC Berkeley (undergrad) -> UC Santa Cruz (grad)

[@bconigliaro]

Well, did you make it?

[@Imafungi123]

45:29 higgs boson mass 126 x proton..... So what gives the higgs boson mass?

[@acquiesce022]

Thank you for the "heads up"!

[@Destitutebroadcast]

Since they are approaching a quadrillion proton-proton interactions, what would happen if a created super-dense particle started attracting other particles and did not instantly vanish as theorized?

[@HiAdrian]

Marjorie Shapiro is such a great woman. She also has a very worthwhile talk on GoogleTalks.

[@Dr.HazharGhaderi]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

[@Redant1Redant]

This is best 18 minute explanation of why the Higgs is important I have found anywhere on the web (starts at 10min mark) . Leonard Susskind is good too, (on You Tube more detailed and 1.5 hrs)

[@nmarbletoe8210]

there is a small but finite chance that a collision will produce a buick

[@PatIreland]

+N Marbletoe I am glad you specified 'finite."

[@nmarbletoe8210]

+Patrick Ireland "finite" as in "not infinite and not zero" ... kind of a funny way to say it. i think it would be a very small buick.

[@geniusofmozart]

Very interesting how even a discovery paves the way for at least 4 other discoveries and research topics. That's the great thing about science, there are always more questions, though it would be nice to have all of the answers one day. Solving the problem that the theoretical physicist at the start mentioned will be a prominent topic in research facilities in the future, I assume.

[@GonzoTehGreat]

this is the best presentation of the discovery i have seen yet - very nicely done Berkeley!

[@k3vinaz0]

My physics professor worked on this!! He was so excited too

[@drewcullen]

best reply on youtube period.

[@mfoucault1984]

I would like to have the slides of the experimental presentation, are they hanging anywhere? Thanks in advance.

[@Imafungi123]

How and why does the higgs field produce bosons? what causes it to do so? where does the "pure energy" come from? and what form is it in before it turns into 'matter energy'?

[@user-ys4cy6jw1v]

Is it possible to use quantum computers to slow down what you want to catch?

[@dlaynd]

It got me thinking we spend billions of dollars on entertainment yet have no money for science... It is outrageous to see local colleges and universities building multi-million dollar sport facilities yet their science departments go heavily underfunded for years. Wish you all the people who are working hard on understanding the building blocks of our universe many blessings!!!

[@josephlandrut4154]

THAN YOU FOR YOUR VIDEO.

[@reginapendleton]

in quantum physics isn't any particle just an observation? I thought the actual act of observation changed the action of the particle? so how can they say that they have observed the particle without considering the observation effect?

[@jcmana]

Well, this really raised more questions than it answered. Thank you, UCBerkeleyEvents, for sharing this simposium.

[@sabotage2288]

>tfw when no qt3.14 theoretical physicist feel.jpg

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Try Leonard Susskind (Stanford) on the Higgs Boson here on you tube. He not only does the maths, but also explains how it works.

[@leeryder676]

well a simple way to explain that is while a car can be compacted.. can it be stretched.

[@Destitutebroadcast]

So much fluff on the topic, in this video I learned a small piece of the puzzle. 1:08:49 "...I don't know any physicist who would ever use that name..." Among others, Leon Lederman (1988 Nobel laureate in physics) wrote a book entitled "The God Particle". I have three questions if any body has an idea, please reply-

[@petemchardy3605]

you can see higs bosom with a strong magefing glass

[@iloveRedVsBlue]

I believe that everything that we discover will constantly be another stepping stone and that everything can be infinatley be broken down smaller and smaller. We will still have answers, But we will constantly have more questions as a result.

[@Folkstone57]

Question 3# : Even if it did it would dissolve long before it could do much other than eat a few nearby particles.

[@bhojprasaddhakal7674]

excellent presentation but i am unable to clear.

[@VillainsVindication]

man I wish there were subtitles or closed captioning on this

[@oncebittentwiceshy639]

If that's how you normally "explain" things, head over to Stanford and ask Lenny Suesskind how it's done.

[@onderozenc4470]

To induce is up to Mr. Sushkin, to deduce is up to you....

[@iloveRedVsBlue]

The higgs field produces bosons (which are highly unstable) that decay almost immediately into certain matter particles. Something about the higgs field allows for the transfer of pure energy to 'matter energy'. Also why the boson is sometimes considered the 'God' particle, because its the original particle that creates all other particles.

[@carlajones8741]

Thanks.

[@robroberts1473]

local colleges and universities build multi-million dollar sport facilities because they bring in multi-millions of dollars. When there are 60,000 paying fans to watch folks doing math problems then you will get some awesome buildings for that.

[@trumanthomas4253]

Can you tell me what the mini blackhole thing in my hotel room was?

[@Imafungi123]

How does something with no mass (higgs field) give mass to something with no mass ( Particles before they supposedly interact with the massless higgs field) ? When was the first moment "mass" existed, and what caused it to exist? Is mass in essence, quanta that does not travel at the speed of light?

[@thinkingronin6178]

I love listening to theoretical physicists, but their experimental counterparts are far more interesting.

[@hackerhesays731]

rip dora jane dunn,garu dunnsr, gary dunn jr, julie nicholas, troy nicholas jr, all the animals that quickly decomposed, what info released for good hubs used for the opposite.

[@Sebbenify]

Ty men

[@Stabacs]

There is no faster than light neutrino? It was a mistake in measurement caused by a broken cable, as far as I heard....

[@hansenmv]

God - i must be a geek.

[@sammyfromsydney]

Science is my hobby, not my profession though I do have a degree in Astronomy. Listening to that, I wonder if there could be a relationship between the Higgs instability and dark energy. This is all handwaving on my part as I do not know any of the math, but could it be that the universes' acceleration could be caused by the Higgs field. ie. the field "stretching out" and pushing space apart, thus avoiding the instability...just a thought

[@Imafungi123]

Why is the higgs field needed at all? why cant the quantites of energy/matter in/of the universe have intrinsic properties of mass?

[@CHistrue]

Could the S-Particle be in another brane?

[@Destitutebroadcast]

1.How much radiation is produced at the LHC? Please compare it to an X-ray or near a power plant. 2.They say there have been over 800 Trillion proton-proton interactions at the LHC so far. I am not saying they did not find evidence of a Higgs Boson, but I am asking how can they tell a Higgs Boson from a computer or equipment glitch? 3.If they increase the energy of the LHC in 2014,is there a theoretical chance (even a miniscule chance) of creating a super-dense particle (subatomic black hole)?

[@LovinLearnin]

What about the ones who smoke pot? Also is it also not a fact of parallel universes and realities streaming all around us? What is the 'facts' on multiple co-exsisting realities/universes?

[@LucVNO]

Sooo... All the weight of existence is in the fabric itself not the stuff in it?

[@Remedynr]

Lol is it just me or does it sound at 00:14:40 like he's talking about all those "feels" on the internet recently :D reference to "I know that feel bro". Couldn't help it but start laughing

[@Thundralight]

Example of Something with no Mass giving mass to something with no mass Thought-consciousness creating music ? Does music,or sound have any type of mass?.

[@LucVNO]

The Higgs Boson is the particle that transfers that mass to reality?

[@trumanthomas4253]

Which force runs your body?

[@venkatbabu186]

What are Higgs. Extremely high spin circles comparative to the nucleus of an atom.

[@ANDUAN93]

Finally, no one could explain Higgs Boson to me.

[@LovinLearnin]

Oh, thank you! I really appreciate you 'briefing' me. I think 'regular' may be relative. ;)

[@AlainButzberger]

Yes, skipping to explanation at 10:52 is the way to go.

[@MrKorrazonCold]

"E2=mc2c4+p2c2 like dropping pebbles into a pond dividing a unit of space/ multiplied by one unit of time. The greater the mass/energy density inward spherical boson waves generating heat by multiplying electrical potential along cubic dynameters compressing the wave amplitude now+4-0-4+-the shorter the expanding transverse waves dividing gravity from its source. Energy compression pi +1=mass.de-compressing C2 forming acceleration-G from zero curvature, wave front by wave front as time unfolds."

[@choffidge]

what's ironic about the declaration of discovery coming out on july 4th?

[@ahmedgomez1]

alguien ha imaginado alguna vez que la gravedad puede ser un efecto termodinamico?

[@Folkstone57]

A super dense particle would probably be rather massive. It might not attract any other particles & the more dense/massive the particle, the faster it will either break up into lighter particles, or if it's very dense it would exceed its Schwartchild radius & would collapse into a black-hole & then dissolve .

[@LucasVe208]

if space can expand, then why could it not also contract or even bend?

[@7777Ralph]

In 1980 Gould said, ‘The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution.’6

[@Critterd1]

TY

[@Spjungen]

Good man

[@flexedsun]

almost there

[@sdsti]

That's because people think it doesn't matter or affect their lives. Yet they are dependent on things that scientific research has made possible.

[@rahulhaque5180]

awesome

[@WillToWinvlog]

Saying the Higgs field has no source is a crass assumption. It has no KNOWN source, but it certainly COULD have a source, and there are actually a few plausible theories for different sources of the Higgs field.

[@7777Ralph]

There is a built in symbiotic relationship of sorts between the nature of light and the observer, like there is with the higgs field and gravity. What good would gravity be without the higgs field, and vise versa what good would the higgs field be without gravity? When it comes to photons, there is a relationship between the observer and the photon where the nature of the photon changes based on the act of observing. This means we don't even know how a photon works when it's not observed.

[@99bigox]

"We create and perceive our world simultaneously and our mind does this so well that we don't even know it's happening. That allows us to get right into the middle of that process." Inception "Like an engineer or artist, who does not know his mind, but it is painted from the mind, all Dharma is so. The mind is like an engineer or artist, able to paint multiverse (spacetime). The five clusters all are born thence, there is nothing it cannot make." Scroll 19 of Flower Garland Sutra

[@Folkstone57]

It was actually " The God-damn Particle " but his publisher veto'd the title.....

[@mwhitehurst2]

So what happens when we die? Do we have symmetric particles that could live on?

[@gasdive]

No

[@Tony-hv6mo]

Particles don’t live, and we still have no idea why random spontaneous stuff has consciousness

[@99bigox]

"The Buddha once asked the future Buddha Maitreya (founder of Consciousness Only or Yogacara School) when the mind has a thought, how many thoughts and how many intentions and consciousnesses are there? Maitreya said, 'The instant of flicking a finger, there is 320 trillion thoughts (micro thoughts), thought after thought create matter (material world.), every matter has consciousness (spiritual, informational), it is extremely fast, thus should not be attached.'" 1.28 quadrillion frames/sec.

[@Imafungi123]

Consciousness as far as we know depends on the physical brain and body,and consciousness itself may have mass,if it is related to the firing of neurons and brain activity such as that,so it takes relatively lots of energy to remain conscious,according to einstein that energy can correlate to mass in some way,music depends on physical objects with mass to be vibrated against other materials and through air,the sound wave is energy,while I dont know if sound wave has mass, it can impart its energy

[@chitskirits]

200 out of 800 trillion collisions you can see a HIGGS BOSON!!! This scientist,if they got it right,they deserve RECOGNITION ,for doing the IMPOSSIBLE MISSION.

[@Imafungi123]

but anyway, you are relating this to the higgs field having no mass (but assumedly energy?) and so all the energy created in the big bang was massless until it hit the energy of the higgs field, which caused it to have 'mass'? I just dont know what he higgs field would be, it seems to perfect that the universe would belch out an all invasive, invisible, energy field which allows the affect of mass. Why cant the energy of the universe have an intrinsic mass without a higgs field?

[@lplostburq]

I want to be a part of that!

[@sidewaysfcs0718]

because that explanation is quite obvious, yes all particle are actually massless and move at the speed of light, but when the higgs interact with most of them, they move slower and gain mass. but it's more more hard to explain that to the public without tehnical terms. if you start talking about particle coupling and Z emission and spontaneous symmetry breaking and weak hypercharge, people will get bored and leave.

[@mtre3854]

ScienceSunday Physics World Euler God Equation is a result of first mode definition of a complex number, is ok because help us a lot in Physics, but we need to know it and to be aware of it. Make a discussion for it I will tray to be there when I can.

[@7777Ralph]

The double slit experiment proves the universe isn't what a lot of people think it is. There is no way to make sense out of photons changing based on our observation. I see many here think up scenarios to explain it, but those hypotheses have been proven wrong. If you research more videos, you will see that. It has been proven, just exactly as this video says, that it truly is the act of observing that changes the nature of a photon. This is intelligent design folks, very clearly.

[@sidewaysfcs0718]

still worth it

[@sanjayraoshedge8924]

Great lecture , i have understood most of it !please carry on , we decode dark energy and dark matter !

[@celtlen]

Extra dimensions were proposed to make string theory, the best candidate for a theory of quantum gravity, coherent. There's no evidence that they exist and essentially no direct way to detect them. It's hypothesised that the LHC may detect evidence for them, via energy escaping to the extra dimensions at the highest energies. But as of today, we only know of 4 dimensions. PS. Physicists are regular people too :D

[@LovinLearnin]

I (being a regular person) assumed all physicists accept that we had 12? dimensions. I actually thought extra dimensions was a fact. Is extra dimensions like a bad word or something?

[@Levon9404]

Gravity you experience is mass-less energy, now you get it. Mass of the gravity is located within inner core, gravity is an expanded energy.

[@7777Ralph]

In 1977 Gould wrote, ‘The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology. … to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study.’5

[@frotwithdanger]

OMG, Louise makes physics HAWT!

[@Badsub]

Albert Einstein's final theory he was working on was his unified field theory. It's too bad he wasn't around long enough to finish it.

[@sanjayraoshedge8924]

Hello sire , i trying my best to understand yur lecture !!

[@mrgoldie109]

An amusing but plausible explanation. Higgs boson particles are photons playing “hot potato” game. Very simple. A very hot potato, a form of dark matter, a fractal of inadvertent matter from the Big Bang. Of course, the Higgs boson will be unstable - who can hang on to this hot potato? - because it will transfer the hot potato to its nearest neighbor. The photon may or may not have temporary increase in mass depending on its state in the game aka as spin. And, sometimes the hot potato gets dropped, adding no mass to the photon, no spin.

[@sidewaysfcs0718]

the higgs field. the higgs field itself is massless, and normal particle WOULD be massless, but because these 2 categories interact, the particles we see have mass. only 2 particles wich don't interact with the field are photons and gluons (and possibly gravitons)

[@mrgoldie109]

There has to be a 4th field, an anti-matter field, a null set to the other 3 fields (electric, magnetic, gravitational). This pyramid of forces is spooky.

[@sidewaysfcs0718]

finally someone who gets how progress works. it's disgusting that sports athletes make more than scientists, sure they should make money for being in perfect physical shape and promoting a healthy lifestyle. but not as much as scientists who literally make everything in your home possible. the world is cruel , it does not repay true merit.

[@HuMaHuMHuM]

How about this for a thought experiment -You R a Higgs boson! The next time you look up at the stars, think about how far the the light has traveled. The photons will decay sometime, and the ones that you see will end up in you, and not be able to travel any more. You are the final destination! But what happens when you see something? You get aware of it, and with that experience you transmute the photons to electrons. The whole world is build up in this fashion. Your mind is a world assembler.

[@Opethfullcovers]

In a couple of centuries (assuming we survive for more than a century.) We'll be looking at our older models of the universe and laugh at ourselves.

[@nmarbletoe8210]

Opethfullcovers yup, even our models will be laughing