Comments on: Higgs boson update: Expect an answer by December

By: naam

naam — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:48:00 +0000

uhm, the article states december -next- year, folks…
“Nonetheless, LHC researchers still believe they will either have found the Higgs by the end of next year or confirmed that it does not exist in the form…”
and
“Discoveries are almost assured within the next 12 months. If the Higgs exists, the LHC experiments will soon find it. If it does not, its absence will point the way to new physics.”

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 03:03:00 +0000

News without spin wouldn’t be able to accurately refer to quantum particles though, would it?

By: AA

AA — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:41:00 +0000

…I am thinking of Schrodinger’s Easter bunny…

By: Hugh Johnson

Hugh Johnson — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:48:00 +0000

So, if it exists, there should be Higgs-Boson porn, right? (invoking rule 34)

By: Robert Cruickshank

Robert Cruickshank — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:09:00 +0000

I’m hoping for some news with no spin.

By: jamiethehutt

jamiethehutt — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:22:00 +0000

>But what are the implications if it’s not there?

To paraphrase Brian Cox: Then the universe is stranger and more amazing than we’ve yet to imagine.

Also it means physicists have been barking up the wrong tree for 90 years. This is how science works and 90 years is a comparatively short detour. If we don’t find it then a lot of physicists will be scratching their heads, string theory is the best idea that we’ve got and a missing higgs particle may mean that a lot of things are wrong.

While it wont lend weight to the holographic universe theory (just because A is wrong doesn’t make B correct) it may give it more eyes as a lot of dejected physicists will be looking for something else to work on.

I hope we don’t find it.

By: dculberson

dculberson — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:52:00 +0000

“Platypus Of The Day” – now that’s a tumblog I’d like to see!

By: MisterH4x0r

MisterH4x0r — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:40:00 +0000

For a moment, I read that was “Platypus Of The Day” award and my mind started veering off in a very weird direction.

I haven’t had my morning cup of coffee yet.

By: seyo

seyo — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Platitude Of The Day® award!

By: EricT

EricT — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:11:00 +0000

But what are the implications if it’s not there? What theoretical model can account for its absence? Will it lend some weight, no pun intended, to the reality-as-hologram theory?

By: awjt

awjt — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:08:00 +0000

We know that observing particles at certain energies is a predictable, repeatable process. If they have this collider scaled properly, I think he’s right. This particle will appear in short order.

By: Eark_the_Bunny

Eark_the_Bunny — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Just because you can not see it does not mean it is not there. Think of science before the microscope. Inversely just because you think it might be there does not mean it is there just because you wish it to be. Think of the Easter bunny.

By: Lobster

Lobster — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Hope they find it. It would suck to get a Higgs-Boson in the head when you cuddle up with your hay pillow.