The term "God Particle" was never a name that scientists wanted to associate with a particle that manifests as an invisible field called the Higgs Boson. A journalist came up with that term and refused to drop it when asked to do so. Scientists believe that the Higgs Boson field permeates the entire universe and gives other particles their mass. According to a March 14 article in the Christian Science Monitor, the Higgs Boson is almost sure to be confirmed as the last piece of the puzzle predicted by the Standard Model. The Standard model is essential to today's understanding of particle physics theory.
In July 2012, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland had reached the last possible location where they had any hope of finding a Higgs Boson. Last year, they discovered a particle that met the standards set in the Standard Model. The particle was within the range of range of 116 to 130 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), where the Higgs Boson should be. However, the scientists must confirm the finding with a 99 percent surety, which required more tests.
Today, leaders of atom smashing experiments that are conducted at the Large Hadron Collider announced that they have been running further experiments. According to a March 14 CNET article, those experiments produced two and a half times more data than before. That new, extra data shows that the new particle is in the range of 116 to 130 gigaelectronvolts and is all but sure to be a Higgs boson.
It is important to note that the scientists will not say for sure whether the Boson they discovered is simply the newest boson ever discovered or whether it is the true Higgs Boson required by the Standard Model. In other words, this new boson could be one that works for another model of physics.
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