JimD
11-01-2010, 08:02 AM
----------------- #1217 - How to Find the Higgs Boson?
- Fundamental particles like photons bring us light. Theory has it that another fundamental particle, the Higgs Boson, brings us inertia and mass for all other particles. How massive do we expect the Higgs Boson particle to be? How much energy will it take to find it? How does this compare with the other fundamental particles that have already been discovered? A table is calculated to compare the 12 fundamental particle masses with ordinary objects so you can better visualize the challenge.
-
- The Higgs Boson is a fundamental particle like the photon is a fundamental particle. The photon is a force carrier for the electromagnetic force. W and Z Bosons are the force carriers for the Weak Nuclear Force. The Higgs Boson is believed to be the virtual particle that gives all other particles their mass. It is a very heavy, high energy particle. The electron is a fundamental particle and weighs (9.1*10^-31 kg) or, 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,91 kilograms.
- These particles are so small they are not measured in kilograms very often. A more useful measurement for the electron is 0.511 million electron volts / c^2. This is from the formula mass = energy / (speed of light ^2). “c^2” = 90,000,000,000,000,000,000 meters^2 / seconds^2. So comparing mass of the electron to the Higgs Boson would be like comparing the mass of a mouse to the Blue Whale. The Higgs Boson has yet to be discovered but it is believed to have a lot of mass compared to the other fundamental particles.
- It all starts at the lowest energy level where we live. Our world is at ground zero energy wise. If it were higher it would decay because energy always is seeking the lowest level it can find. Some elements in our world are at higher energy levels and they decay with radioactivity. In fact that is how the W and Z bosons were discovered. The Ordinary Matter that makes up our world includes 4 fundamental particles of matter and 4 fundamental particles that are the force carriers for Gravity, Strong and Weak Nuclear forces and the electromagnetic force. The Graviton believed to be the force carrier for Gravity, has not been discovered either. The matter particles are the Up Quark , Down Quark, Electron and Neutrino. The Electron and the Neutrino are called Leptons All particles with a ½ spin are called Leptons.
- The force carrier particles are called Bosons. All particles with an integer spin are called Bosons. The most familiar Boson is the photon. The photon is the force carrier for light, electricity, magnetism and all electromagnetic radiation. It is the force carrier between the positive nucleus and the orbiting negative electron that make up every atomic element in the Periodic Table.
The W and Z Bosons are the force carriers that hold the protons together in the nucleus. Like positive charges would fly apart otherwise. The Gluons are force carriers for the Strong Nuclear Force and the W-Z Bosons for the Weak Nuclear Force. They are very massive also and that is why they have very limited range, about the diameter of the atom, 10^-15 meters. Photons are nearly massless and have nearly unlimited range. The Strong Interaction is binding Quarks and Gluons together to form protons and neutrons in the nucleus. The Weak Interaction acts on Quarks and Leptons. The Weak force can change a Down Quark into an Up Quark which changes a neutron into a proton + a
W-Boson which, in turn, changes into an electron + an anti-neutrino. This is called Beta Decay and it occurs with normal radioactivity.
- The Electromagnetic Interaction acts on positive and negative charged particles, like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
- The Higgs Interaction is thought to fill all space and to impede W and Z Bosons limiting the range of Weak Interactions. And, it impedes Quarks and Leptons causing them to have mass. Therefore, the Higgs Interaction would cause all matter to have mass since all matter is made up of Quarks and Leptons.
- The Gravity Interaction is caused by the force carrier, the Graviton ( in theory ). It is believed that the Graviton is too light for us to have found it, and, the Higgs Boson is too heavy for us to have found it. By using the very high energy Particle Accelerators we hope to discover these new particles. The Fermilab near Chicago and the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland are both looking. The Fermilab accelerator sends protons and anti-protons around in a 1 kilometer radius circle and smashes them together in a head-on collision. The LHC accelerator sends bunches of protons in opposite directions around a 4 kilometer circle and smashes them together. Heavy particles bust apart and if they have enough Kinetic Energy when they recombine they might form heavier particles. These heavier particles quickly decay into their lower energy counterparts. Here are the 4 heavier Quarks and Leptons at the next higher level: ( Energy is given in MeV, million electron volts):
--------- Up Quark ------ 2 MeV ----------------- Charm Quark ------- 1,250 MeV
--------- Down Quark -- 5 ---- ----------------- Strange Quark ----------- 95
--------- Neutrino ------- 0 ----------------------- Muon Neutrino------------ 0
--------- Electron ------- 0.511 ------ ------------- Muon ------------------ 106
- These heavier particles quickly decay into the low energy particles we know. A Muon will decay back into an electron in 2.2 microseconds. Muons are created in particle accelerators but also created by cosmic rays high above us in the upper atmosphere. Cosmic rays are hydrogen and other atomic nuclei that are traveling through space at near light speeds. When they smash into the upper atmosphere and collide with gas molecules they create a spray of Muons that rain down on Earth. Muons are passing through your body as you read this sentence. But, if Muons decay in 2.2 microseconds how can they possibly travel several hundred miles through the atmosphere to reach the surface of Earth. How? Time Dilation, that is how. They are traveling so fast their time runs slower for them. 2.2 microseconds is dilated enough to cause the Muons to not die as quickly. These measurements actually are another confirmation that Einstein’s math for his Theory of Relativity is accurate and agrees with actual observations.
- By adding even more energy to the fundamental particles particle accelerators can create a third generation of particles:
------------- Charm Quark --------- 1,250 ----------- Top Quark ---------- 171,000
------------ Strange Quark ----------- 95 -------------Bottom Quark ----------- 4,200
------------- Muon Neutrino---------- 0 ------------ Tau Neutrino --------------- 0
----------------- Muon --------------- 106 ---------------- Tau ----------------- 1,780
- The Tau was discovered in Fermilab by smashing protons and anti-protons together. The collision created a Tau and an anti-Tau. A proton and an anti-proton each have the mass of 900 MeV. Smashed together they create the energy of 1,800 MeV. The mass of the Tau is 1,789 MeV , but, it takes upwards of 175,000 MeV of energy to create it because many other particles are created in the collisions and other energy is lost. Once the Tau is created it quickly decays into the lower energy particles in 290.6 femtoseconds. The additional energy required to create the Tau comes from Kinetic Energy with the protons being accelerated nearly up to the speed of light before they collide.
- As the protons accelerate around the circle they are held by powerful magnets along the entire circumference. Their acceleration comes from an electronic pulse that kicks the protons to faster velocities each rotation around the circle. When near light speeds are attained other focus magnets come into play to direct the two beams into a head-on collision. Kinetic Energy = mass * ( velocity)^2. The velocity of the collision is what creates the energy needed.
- It is expected that greater then 1,000,000 MeV will be required to create a Higgs Boson. The LHC is up to the task and hopes to deliver up to 14,000,000 MeV.
- To better understand the mass and energy being discussed by particle physicists. Let’s describe each of these particles in 3 generations of higher energy each with a mass measured in million electron volts / c^2:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000013 -------- 0.511 ----------------- 2 ---------------------- 5 -----
--------- 0.0000013 ------- 106 ----------------- 1,300 ------------------ 100 -----
--------- 0.0000014 ------- 1,777 ------------ 173,000 ---------------- 4,200 -----
- We can divide by the speed of light squared, 90,000,000,000,000,000 m^2/sec^2 And multiply by 1.6022*10^-19 joules per electron volt to get kilograms of mass:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 2.3^-36 ------- 0.91*10^-30 ---------- 3.6*10^-30 ----------- 8.9^*10-30-----
--------- 2.3^-36 ------- 190*10^-30 --------- 2,300*10^-30 --------- 180^*10-30-----
--------- 2.5^*10-36 --- 3,200*10^-30 ----- 310,000*10^-30 ------- 7,500*10^-30-----
Measured in kilograms the particles are still not easy to relate to. Next, we can make the electron the standard of 1 and calculate the multiplier for all the other particles:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000025 -------- 1 ------------------- 4 -------------------- 10 -----
--------- 0.0000025 ------- 207 ------------- 2,544 ------------------ 196 -----
--------- 0.000002 ------- 3,477 ------------ 338,552 -------------- 8,219 -----
- Next we can make the electron the mass of a mouse,0.05 pounds, and compare the mass of a mouse with other objects you are familiar with:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000025 -------- mouse ------------- hamster------------ human heart -----
--------- 0.0000025 ------- chicken ---------- a 12 year old------------- rabbit -----
--------- 0.000002 -------- raccoon ------------ elephant ---------------- Llama-----
- The table above gives you a relative idea of the difference in mass of the particles we have discovered. The search for the Higgs Boson is at 14 TeV, that is 14 million MeV. Compared to the mouse this particle is the Blue Whale. The search is on. Who will discover this massive elusive particle first? Fermilab or LHC? Stay tuned there will be an announcement shortly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) 10-25-10 lecture at SSU by Maxwell Chertok, UC Davis, The compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the LHC in Switzerland.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copy to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email. Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: [email protected] ([email protected]). or, use www.facebook.com (https://www.facebook.com/), or , www.twitter.com (https://www.twitter.com/).
536-3272, [email protected] ([email protected]) Monday, November 1, 2010
- Fundamental particles like photons bring us light. Theory has it that another fundamental particle, the Higgs Boson, brings us inertia and mass for all other particles. How massive do we expect the Higgs Boson particle to be? How much energy will it take to find it? How does this compare with the other fundamental particles that have already been discovered? A table is calculated to compare the 12 fundamental particle masses with ordinary objects so you can better visualize the challenge.
-
- The Higgs Boson is a fundamental particle like the photon is a fundamental particle. The photon is a force carrier for the electromagnetic force. W and Z Bosons are the force carriers for the Weak Nuclear Force. The Higgs Boson is believed to be the virtual particle that gives all other particles their mass. It is a very heavy, high energy particle. The electron is a fundamental particle and weighs (9.1*10^-31 kg) or, 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,91 kilograms.
- These particles are so small they are not measured in kilograms very often. A more useful measurement for the electron is 0.511 million electron volts / c^2. This is from the formula mass = energy / (speed of light ^2). “c^2” = 90,000,000,000,000,000,000 meters^2 / seconds^2. So comparing mass of the electron to the Higgs Boson would be like comparing the mass of a mouse to the Blue Whale. The Higgs Boson has yet to be discovered but it is believed to have a lot of mass compared to the other fundamental particles.
- It all starts at the lowest energy level where we live. Our world is at ground zero energy wise. If it were higher it would decay because energy always is seeking the lowest level it can find. Some elements in our world are at higher energy levels and they decay with radioactivity. In fact that is how the W and Z bosons were discovered. The Ordinary Matter that makes up our world includes 4 fundamental particles of matter and 4 fundamental particles that are the force carriers for Gravity, Strong and Weak Nuclear forces and the electromagnetic force. The Graviton believed to be the force carrier for Gravity, has not been discovered either. The matter particles are the Up Quark , Down Quark, Electron and Neutrino. The Electron and the Neutrino are called Leptons All particles with a ½ spin are called Leptons.
- The force carrier particles are called Bosons. All particles with an integer spin are called Bosons. The most familiar Boson is the photon. The photon is the force carrier for light, electricity, magnetism and all electromagnetic radiation. It is the force carrier between the positive nucleus and the orbiting negative electron that make up every atomic element in the Periodic Table.
The W and Z Bosons are the force carriers that hold the protons together in the nucleus. Like positive charges would fly apart otherwise. The Gluons are force carriers for the Strong Nuclear Force and the W-Z Bosons for the Weak Nuclear Force. They are very massive also and that is why they have very limited range, about the diameter of the atom, 10^-15 meters. Photons are nearly massless and have nearly unlimited range. The Strong Interaction is binding Quarks and Gluons together to form protons and neutrons in the nucleus. The Weak Interaction acts on Quarks and Leptons. The Weak force can change a Down Quark into an Up Quark which changes a neutron into a proton + a
W-Boson which, in turn, changes into an electron + an anti-neutrino. This is called Beta Decay and it occurs with normal radioactivity.
- The Electromagnetic Interaction acts on positive and negative charged particles, like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
- The Higgs Interaction is thought to fill all space and to impede W and Z Bosons limiting the range of Weak Interactions. And, it impedes Quarks and Leptons causing them to have mass. Therefore, the Higgs Interaction would cause all matter to have mass since all matter is made up of Quarks and Leptons.
- The Gravity Interaction is caused by the force carrier, the Graviton ( in theory ). It is believed that the Graviton is too light for us to have found it, and, the Higgs Boson is too heavy for us to have found it. By using the very high energy Particle Accelerators we hope to discover these new particles. The Fermilab near Chicago and the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland are both looking. The Fermilab accelerator sends protons and anti-protons around in a 1 kilometer radius circle and smashes them together in a head-on collision. The LHC accelerator sends bunches of protons in opposite directions around a 4 kilometer circle and smashes them together. Heavy particles bust apart and if they have enough Kinetic Energy when they recombine they might form heavier particles. These heavier particles quickly decay into their lower energy counterparts. Here are the 4 heavier Quarks and Leptons at the next higher level: ( Energy is given in MeV, million electron volts):
--------- Up Quark ------ 2 MeV ----------------- Charm Quark ------- 1,250 MeV
--------- Down Quark -- 5 ---- ----------------- Strange Quark ----------- 95
--------- Neutrino ------- 0 ----------------------- Muon Neutrino------------ 0
--------- Electron ------- 0.511 ------ ------------- Muon ------------------ 106
- These heavier particles quickly decay into the low energy particles we know. A Muon will decay back into an electron in 2.2 microseconds. Muons are created in particle accelerators but also created by cosmic rays high above us in the upper atmosphere. Cosmic rays are hydrogen and other atomic nuclei that are traveling through space at near light speeds. When they smash into the upper atmosphere and collide with gas molecules they create a spray of Muons that rain down on Earth. Muons are passing through your body as you read this sentence. But, if Muons decay in 2.2 microseconds how can they possibly travel several hundred miles through the atmosphere to reach the surface of Earth. How? Time Dilation, that is how. They are traveling so fast their time runs slower for them. 2.2 microseconds is dilated enough to cause the Muons to not die as quickly. These measurements actually are another confirmation that Einstein’s math for his Theory of Relativity is accurate and agrees with actual observations.
- By adding even more energy to the fundamental particles particle accelerators can create a third generation of particles:
------------- Charm Quark --------- 1,250 ----------- Top Quark ---------- 171,000
------------ Strange Quark ----------- 95 -------------Bottom Quark ----------- 4,200
------------- Muon Neutrino---------- 0 ------------ Tau Neutrino --------------- 0
----------------- Muon --------------- 106 ---------------- Tau ----------------- 1,780
- The Tau was discovered in Fermilab by smashing protons and anti-protons together. The collision created a Tau and an anti-Tau. A proton and an anti-proton each have the mass of 900 MeV. Smashed together they create the energy of 1,800 MeV. The mass of the Tau is 1,789 MeV , but, it takes upwards of 175,000 MeV of energy to create it because many other particles are created in the collisions and other energy is lost. Once the Tau is created it quickly decays into the lower energy particles in 290.6 femtoseconds. The additional energy required to create the Tau comes from Kinetic Energy with the protons being accelerated nearly up to the speed of light before they collide.
- As the protons accelerate around the circle they are held by powerful magnets along the entire circumference. Their acceleration comes from an electronic pulse that kicks the protons to faster velocities each rotation around the circle. When near light speeds are attained other focus magnets come into play to direct the two beams into a head-on collision. Kinetic Energy = mass * ( velocity)^2. The velocity of the collision is what creates the energy needed.
- It is expected that greater then 1,000,000 MeV will be required to create a Higgs Boson. The LHC is up to the task and hopes to deliver up to 14,000,000 MeV.
- To better understand the mass and energy being discussed by particle physicists. Let’s describe each of these particles in 3 generations of higher energy each with a mass measured in million electron volts / c^2:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000013 -------- 0.511 ----------------- 2 ---------------------- 5 -----
--------- 0.0000013 ------- 106 ----------------- 1,300 ------------------ 100 -----
--------- 0.0000014 ------- 1,777 ------------ 173,000 ---------------- 4,200 -----
- We can divide by the speed of light squared, 90,000,000,000,000,000 m^2/sec^2 And multiply by 1.6022*10^-19 joules per electron volt to get kilograms of mass:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 2.3^-36 ------- 0.91*10^-30 ---------- 3.6*10^-30 ----------- 8.9^*10-30-----
--------- 2.3^-36 ------- 190*10^-30 --------- 2,300*10^-30 --------- 180^*10-30-----
--------- 2.5^*10-36 --- 3,200*10^-30 ----- 310,000*10^-30 ------- 7,500*10^-30-----
Measured in kilograms the particles are still not easy to relate to. Next, we can make the electron the standard of 1 and calculate the multiplier for all the other particles:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000025 -------- 1 ------------------- 4 -------------------- 10 -----
--------- 0.0000025 ------- 207 ------------- 2,544 ------------------ 196 -----
--------- 0.000002 ------- 3,477 ------------ 338,552 -------------- 8,219 -----
- Next we can make the electron the mass of a mouse,0.05 pounds, and compare the mass of a mouse with other objects you are familiar with:
--------- Neutrinos ------- Electrons --------- Up Quarks -------- Down Quarks -----
--------- 0.0000025 -------- mouse ------------- hamster------------ human heart -----
--------- 0.0000025 ------- chicken ---------- a 12 year old------------- rabbit -----
--------- 0.000002 -------- raccoon ------------ elephant ---------------- Llama-----
- The table above gives you a relative idea of the difference in mass of the particles we have discovered. The search for the Higgs Boson is at 14 TeV, that is 14 million MeV. Compared to the mouse this particle is the Blue Whale. The search is on. Who will discover this massive elusive particle first? Fermilab or LHC? Stay tuned there will be an announcement shortly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) 10-25-10 lecture at SSU by Maxwell Chertok, UC Davis, The compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the LHC in Switzerland.
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copy to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email. Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: [email protected] ([email protected]). or, use www.facebook.com (https://www.facebook.com/), or , www.twitter.com (https://www.twitter.com/).
536-3272, [email protected] ([email protected]) Monday, November 1, 2010