World's Largest Atom Smasher May Have Detected 'God Particle'
By Mike Wall
Published April 22, 2011
| LiveScience
Aug. 7, 2010: An amateur photographer takes a picture in the assembly room of the elements of the LHC (large hadron collider) during the Particle Physics Photowalk at the European Particle Physics laboratory (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
2010年8月7日：一名業餘攝影師在LHC（大型強子對撞機）在會場拍一照片，在瑞士日內瓦的歐洲粒子物理實驗室（CERN）的粒子物理學 Photowalk。
A rumor is floating around the physics community that the world's largest atom smasher may have detected a long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, also known as the "God particle."
謠言在物理學界滿天飛，世界最大的原子加速器可能已發現那長期追求的亞原子粒子，即被稱為希格斯玻色子，亦被稱為“上帝粒子“。
The controversial rumor is based on what appears to be a leaked internal note from physicists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 17-mile-long particle accelerator near Geneva, Switzerland. It's not entirely clear at this point if the memo is authentic, or what the data it refers to might mean — but the note already has researchers talking.
The buzz started when an anonymous commenter recently posted an abstract of the note on Columbia University mathematician Peter Woit's blog, Not Even Wrong.
Some physicists say the note may be a hoax, while others believe the "detection" is likely a statistical anomaly that will disappear upon further study. But the find would be a huge particle-physics breakthrough, if it holds up.
"If it were to be real, it would be really exciting," said physicist Sheldon Stone of Syracuse University.
捕獵希格斯
Hunting for the Higgs
The Higgs boson is predicted to exist by prevailing particle-physics theory, which is known as the Standard Model. Physicists think the Higgs bestows mass on all the other particles — but they have yet to confirm its existence.
Huge atom smashers — like the LHC and the Tevatron, at Fermilab in Illinois — are searching for the Higgs and other subatomic bits of matter. These accelerators slam particles together at enormous speeds, generating a shower of other particles that could include the Higgs or other elemental pieces predicted by theory but yet to be detected. [Wacky Physics: The Coolest Little Particles in Nature]
The leaked note suggests that the LHC's ATLAS particle-detection experiment may have picked up a signature of the elusive Higgs. The signal is consistent, in mass and other characteristics, with what the Higgs is expected to produce, according to the note.
However, some other aspects of the signal don't match predictions.
"Its production rate is much higher than that expected for the Higgs boson in the Standard Model," Stone told SPACE.com in an email interview. So the signal may be evidence of some other particle, Stone added, "which in some sense would be even more interesting, or it could be the result of new physics beyond the Standard Model."
為時尚早
Too soon to tell
Stone was quick to point out that the note is not an official result of the ATLAS research team. Therefore, speculating about its validity or implications is decidedly preliminary.
"It is actually quite illegitimate and unscientific to talk publicly about internal collaboration material before it is approved," Stone said. "So this 'result' is not a result until the collaboration officially releases it."
Other researchers joined Stone in urging patience and caution before getting too excited about the possible discovery.
"Don't worry, Higgs boson! I would never spread scurrilous rumors about you. Unlike some people," Caltech physicist Sean Carroll tweeted today (April 22).
While it's still early, some researchers have already begun to cast doubt on the possible detection. For example, Tommaso Dorigo — a particle physicist at Fermilab and CERN, which operates the LHC — thinks the signal is false and will fade upon closer inspection.
Dorigo — who said he doesn't have access to the full ATLAS memo — gives several reasons for this viewpoint. He points out, for example, that scientists at Fermilab didn't see the putative Higgs signal in their Tevatron data, which covered similar ground as the ATLAS experiment.
Dorigo feels strongly enough, in fact, to put his money where his mouth is.
"I bet $1,000 with whomever has a name and a reputation in particle physics (this is a necessary specification, because I need to be sure that the person taking the bet will honor it) that the signal is not due to Higgs boson decays," he wrote on his blog today. "I am willing to bet that this is NO NEW PARTICLE. Clear enough?"
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/22/worlds-largest-atom-smasher-detected-god-particle/
發現上帝粒子露曙光
2011年4月26日 星期二
【明報專訊】「歐洲核子研究中心」（CERN）的一份疑似內部備忘錄近日在網上流傳，內容指瑞士的全球最大強子對撞器可能已成功找到「上帝粒子」希格斯玻色子（Higgs boson），是人類首次發現這種被視為「粒子之母」的物質。消息在粒子物理學界成為熱談，但物理專家強調結果仍須進一步證實，不宜過早下判斷。
專家強調待證實勿武斷
希格斯玻色子是粒子物理學「標準模型」（Standard Model）理論中假設存在的一種基本粒子，若能成功發現它，將有助解釋物質為何擁有質量。CERN成立的主要目的，正是要利用「超級強子撞擊機」（Large Hadron Collider，LHC）令粒子高速撞擊，產生其他粒子，包括希格斯玻色子。
美國物理學家沃伊特（Peter Woit）的博客網，日前有匿名者貼出CERN一份內部備忘，內容是「超級強子撞擊機」其中一個偵測器，發現了一種粒子的信號，顯示它衰變成兩粒高能量光子，當中的信號與科學家預計希格斯玻色子的信號很相似。4名科學家在備忘中道：「令人興奮的新物理學，包括新粒子，或會在短期內被發現。」
CERN發言人吉利斯（James Gillies）證實，備忘是真的，但強調它只是數以千計的備忘之一，評估仍處於非常初步階段，結果未經確認，要經科學團隊幾個階段的評估後，才可正式發布。英國粒子物理學家考克斯（Brian Cox）博士亦說，這項傳聞來自一份內部文件，而未經同業檢視評估的文件，往往錯漏百出。就算本身在CERN工作的粒子物理學家杜里戈（Tommaso Dorigo）亦質疑有關結論，說不惜與人打賭1000美元（7800港元）。美國物理學家史東（Sheldon Stone）說，雖然揣測備忘的含意並不成熟，但今次測出的信號，與預計的希格斯玻色子有些不同，也有可能是科學家找到前所未見的新粒子，若是這樣，可能更有趣。
每日郵報/每日電訊報
http://news.mingpao.com/20110426/tac1.htm
兩大實驗室宣稱已有“上帝粒子”的蹤跡
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