An overview of the steps that lead to the discovery of the Higgs boson is presented. Starting with the theoretical background framework, the Standard Model of particel physics, the Higgs field will be introduced as an addition. This extra field provides the mechanism for spontaneous symmetry breaking, that is needed to explain the existence of massive particles. An overview of the steps of the experimental search to the discovery of the Higgs boson is given in the second part of this article. Its mass has been measured to be 125.4 ± 0.4(stat) ± 0.5(sys) GeV.
The Standard Model is briefly summarised. The Higgs mechanism is derived from an Abelian Model, applied to the gauge bosons of the electroweak model of Weinberg and Salam. A simple estimate of the Higgs mass is given by its derivation and the estimation of its self-coupling and vacuum expectation value.
Experimental results will be presented from the CMS and ATLAS detectors at the LHC, alongside with a description of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and possible directions for future experiments beyond the Standard Model.
Contents
1 Standard Model of particle physics
1.1 History of the Standard Model
1.2 Theoretical description
1.3 Physical interactions
2 Models of the Higgs mechanism
2.1 Abelian Higgs Model
2.2 Weinberg-Salam Model
3 The Higgs boson
3.1 Mass of the Higgs boson
3.2 Production and decay of the Higgs boson
4 Experimental Search
4.1 History of events
4.2 The Large Hadron Collider LHC
4.3 Experimental Data from ATLAS and CMS
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Objectives and Topics
This work aims to provide a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations and the experimental discovery of the Higgs boson. It explores how the Higgs field enables spontaneous symmetry breaking to grant mass to elementary particles, tracks the search history culminating in the 2012 observation at the Large Hadron Collider, and examines the experimental methodologies used by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations.
- Theoretical framework of the Standard Model and the Higgs mechanism.
- Mathematical derivation of particle masses through spontaneous symmetry breaking.
- Methods for the production and decay modes of the Higgs boson.
- Historical timeline of experimental searches for the Higgs boson.
- Analysis of collision data from the ATLAS and CMS detectors at CERN.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Production and decay of the Higgs boson
The Higgs boson can be created in many different ways, 4 possible ways are: - gluon-gluon fusion to a Higgs boson - top quark and anti top quark fusion to a Higgs boson - Higgs Strahlung: fermion and antifermion fuse to a virtual W/Z boson, which emits a Higgs boson - fermion and antifermion interact through virtual W/Z bosons, which fuse to a Higgs boson The Feynman diagrams are shown in figure 6.
The Higgs boson can decay in various ways, also called decay modes: - H → ZZ* → 4 leptons - H → γγ - H → WW* → electron + neutrino, muon + neutrino - H → τ τ - H → bb The first two modes are pictured in figure 7.
Summary of Chapters
1 Standard Model of particle physics: Provides a historical overview of the development of the Standard Model and defines the theoretical properties of gauge quantum field theories.
2 Models of the Higgs mechanism: Derives the mathematical framework for spontaneous symmetry breaking using the Abelian Higgs Model and the Weinberg-Salam Model to explain particle mass.
3 The Higgs boson: Discusses theoretical predictions regarding the mass of the Higgs boson and details its various production methods and decay channels.
4 Experimental Search: Reviews the historical efforts to find the Higgs boson at LEP and Tevatron and details the experimental identification of the boson at the Large Hadron Collider by ATLAS and CMS.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the confirmation of the Higgs boson and considers potential implications for physics beyond the Standard Model, such as Supersymmetry.
6 Bibliography: Lists the academic references and sources utilized for the literature review.
Keywords
Higgs boson, Standard Model, Spontaneous symmetry breaking, Gauge theory, Large Hadron Collider, ATLAS, CMS, Particle mass, Electroweak interaction, Quantum field theory, Decay modes, Lagrangian, Feynman diagrams, Vacuum expectation value, Supersymmetry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work provides a literature review on the theoretical basis and the discovery of the Higgs boson, explaining how it fits into the Standard Model of particle physics.
Which fundamental physics topics are covered?
Key topics include gauge field theories, the Higgs mechanism, particle mass generation, and high-energy physics experiments at the Large Hadron Collider.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to explain the theoretical derivation of the Higgs mechanism and demonstrate how experimental data from ATLAS and CMS confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper uses theoretical derivation within quantum field theory and analyzes experimental particle physics data obtained from large-scale detector collaborations.
What content is discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the mathematical formulation of the Higgs mechanism, the production and decay modes of the Higgs boson, and the data analysis techniques used at CERN.
Which keywords define this publication?
The paper is characterized by terms like Higgs boson, Standard Model, Symmetry breaking, LHC, ATLAS, CMS, and particle interactions.
How does the potential V(Φ) influence the Higgs mass?
The potential V(Φ) is used to calculate the mass term for the Higgs field; specifically, the negative value of the parameter μ^2 leads to a non-zero vacuum expectation value, which breaks symmetry and generates mass.
What role do the ATLAS and CMS detectors play?
They act as independent experimental collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider that analyze collision data to identify excess events indicative of the Higgs boson.
- Quote paper
- Siyuan Chen (Author), 2013, The theory and discovery of the Higgs boson, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/280663
