Rebecca Manzi Peter Higgs, father of the boson of the same name who with his theory radically changed our understanding of subatomic particles, has passed away at the age of 94
@Bengt Nyman/Wikipedia
The scientific community mourns the loss of a luminary with the passing of British physicist Peter Higgs on April 9 at the age of 94. Higgs, famed for hypothesizing the existence of the Higgs boson—a cornerstone particle in the field of particle physics—leaves behind a lasting legacy in the world of science.
A Pioneering Life
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1929, Higgs spent much of his career as an emeritus professor of theoretical physics at the University of Edinburgh. It was here that he formulated his groundbreaking theory on the Higgs boson, radically changing our understanding of subatomic particles and how they confer mass to matter.
The concept of particle mass is crucial for our comprehension of the universe, as it determines the structure and behavior of matter at all levels, from the infinitesimally small to the macroscopic. Without particle mass, the world as we know it would not exist, as the formation of atoms, molecules, and physical objects depends on this fundamental characteristic.
Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013
The Higgs mechanism, proposed by Higgs and other physicists in the 1960s, solved one of the great puzzles of modern physics: why some particles have mass while others do not. This mechanism predicted the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle that interacts with other particles to endow them with mass.
In 2012, experiments conducted at CERN in Geneva confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, marking a turning point in our understanding of particle physics and earning Higgs and the Belgian physicist François Englert the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013.
Higgs’ work has paved new pathways in scientific research and inspired generations of scientists to explore the mysteries of the universe. His work has had a lasting impact not only on theoretical physics but also on other scientific disciplines and our broader understanding of the natural world. Thus, the death of Peter Higgs represents a significant loss for the scientific community, but his legacy will continue to live on through his discoveries.
