Theory of Higgs field earns Nobel Prize; Purdue physicists part of experiment that proved it

October 8, 2013  


The 2013 Nobel Prize in physics today (Oct. 8) was awarded to Francois Englert and Peter Higgs for their work in developing the theory of the Higgs field, and Purdue researchers were part of the international experiment that proved its existence.

Purdue’s particle physics group has been among the team of international scientists working on experiments at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, laboratory and the hunt for the Higgs boson for more than two decades. In July 2012, their work culminated in an historical moment when representatives of the international collaboration announced the discovery of the Higgs particle, which proves the existence of the Higgs field.

Purdue scientists involved in the project include physics professors David Miller, Virgil Barnes, Daniela Bortoletto, Laszlo Gutay, Matthew Jones, Norbert Neumeister and Ian Shipsey, and professor emeritus Arthur Garfinkel; and Neeti Parashar, a physics professor at Purdue University Calumet. Many Purdue graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral researchers also have been involved in the experiment.

Nobel Prize site: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/

Fermilab article: http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press_releases/2013/Nobel-Prize-Higgs-20131008.html

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