Question: "What is the God particle?"
Answer:
The "God particle" is the nickname of a subatomic particle called the
Higgs boson. In layman’s terms, different subatomic particles are
responsible for giving matter different properties. One of the most
mysterious and important properties is mass. Some particles, like
protons and neutrons, have mass. Others, like photons, do not. The Higgs
boson, or “God particle,” is believed to be the particle which gives
mass to matter. The “God particle” nickname grew out of the long,
drawn-out struggles of physicists to find this elusive piece of the
cosmic puzzle. What follows is a very brief, very simplified explanation
of how the Higgs boson fits into modern physics, and how science is
attempting to study it.
The “standard model” of particle physics is a system that attempts to
describe the forces, components, and reactions of the basic particles
that make up matter. It not only deals with atoms and their components,
but the pieces that compose some subatomic particles. This model does
have some major gaps, including gravity, and some experimental
contradictions. The standard model is still a very good method of
understanding particle physics, and it continues to improve. The model
predicts that there are certain elementary particles even smaller than
protons and neutrons. As of the date of this writing, the only particle
predicted by the model which has not been experimentally verified is the
“Higgs boson,” jokingly referred to as the “God particle.”
Each of the subatomic particles contributes to the forces that cause all
matter interactions. One of the most important, but least understood,
aspects of matter is mass. Science is not entirely sure why some
particles seem mass-less, like photons, and others are “massive.” The
standard model predicts that there is an elementary particle, the Higgs
boson, which would produce the effect of mass. Confirmation of the Higgs
boson would be a major milestone in our understanding of physics.
The “God particle” nickname actually arose when the book The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?
by Leon Lederman was published. Since then, it’s taken on a life of its
own, in part because of the monumental questions about matter that the
God particle might be able to answer. The man who first proposed the
Higgs boson’s existence, Peter Higgs, isn’t all that amused by the
nickname “God particle,” as he’s an avowed atheist. All the same, there
isn’t really any religious intention behind the nickname.
Currently, efforts are under way to confirm the Higgs boson using the
Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator in Switzerland, which
should be able to confirm or refute the existence of the God particle.
As with any scientific discovery, God’s amazing creation becomes more
and more impressive as we learn more about it. Either result—that the
Higgs boson exists, or does not exist—represents a step forward in human
knowledge and another step forward in our appreciation of God’s
awe-inspiring universe. Whether or not there is a “God particle,” we
know this about Christ: “For by him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . all things were created
by him and for him” ( ). Recommended Resources: and . Related Topics: Return to: Return to:
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