How are you holding up?
LHC experiments observe a new particle in the mass region around 125-126GeV.
The results are preliminary but the 5 sigma signal at around 125GeV we're seeing is dramatic!
The next step will be to determine the precise nature of the particle and its significance for
our understanding of the universe.
Are its properties as expected for the long-sought Higgs boson, the final missing ingredient in
the Standard Model of particle physics?
Or is it something more exotic?
The Standard Model describes the fundamental particles from which we, and every visible things in
the universe, are made, and the forces acting between them.
All the matter that we can see, however, appears to be no more than about 4% of the total.
A more exotic version of the Higgs particle could be a bridge to understanding the 96% of the
universe that remains obscure.
