Wednesday, October 9, 2013

To be grateful for the Higgs boson - Reuters

Larger Image graphic traces of proton-proton collisions

Vladimir Sychev, head of the “Science News” RIA Novosti.

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Nobel Committee to award the Prize in Physics “authors” of the Higgs boson

Thus, the names of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 are known, it expectedly got Peter Higgs and his colleague Francois Engler for the theoretical prediction of the existence of the Higgs boson.

This boson at all now need to say thank you for what it is. Thank you, not because thanks to him, there is a lot of elementary particles – but because almost the first time in the world of both physics and science are far from people at the same time, albeit in different ways, but discussing why we need fundamental research and how deeply they have to “dig”. Our country this topic in light of the reform of science, by the way, for otherwise.

Collider and the End of the World

Boson and its “parent”, the Large Hadron Collider, have become, literally, a cultural phenomenon. In jokes (apparently so far) they are not immortalized, but here in kinoserialah and computer games work the same collider often played out.

Why search for the Higgs attracted the interest of even non-experts?

It all began in 2008, when before starting work at the collider someone has predicted the emergence of this installation of a black hole that will destroy the Earth. Other “oracles” other planet combustion in the quark-gluon plasma, which is certainly “spill” from the same accelerator. Immediately there were those who thought that the Mayan calendar somehow suspiciously breaks at about the same time when he should go run the collider.

course, scientists lucidly explained that the reason there is no need to panic, but why the doomsday was not speculate heart’s content – the good, the demand for such high things.

Of course, all of this can be attributed to exposure to a considerable number of people in our vague fears of the world. However, the theme of the boson is then moved beyond the research centers, successfully migrated from the pages of scientific journals on the front pages of publications other than yellowing.

“Pricing” on a man-made black hole discussed separately. Questions townsfolk were not different variety: “How much, how many cost structure Collider? Several billion dollars? But for that same kind of money, if we can all be killed?”.

But collider successfully “found” a boson, not ruining our world, and this was proof that the scientists did not trust. At least, I do myself, that they are not enemies. But many people still question remains – what taxpayers’ money has been spent, and what they use from the fact that the Higgs boson exists.

“And what good is a newborn baby?”

Nowadays, when the economies of many countries tightening their belts, these questions are understandable and justified. But the fact that the emergence of new knowledge and its embedment in the world “piggy bank” – is not a fad eggheads husbands, as an indispensable element of human culture. And therefore assess their knowledge on several billions expended, as if at some bazaar, yet awkward. Yes, none of the scientists, by the way, and says that their fundamental works necessary to allocate arbitrarily large amount. They’re also aware that, in the end, the cash flows are not dimensionless.

To argue the same about the practical use of knowledge of the Higgs boson is hardly rational. At the time, Michael Faraday “closed topic” when the question of what use is his discovery of the magnetic induction, with a noticeable irritation replied: “And what use is a newborn baby?”.

Yes, it is possible that in itself boson “tie” somewhere not succeed – but the big trouble is not to be. As for the immediate benefit, “agriculture”, so here it is useful to remember that, for example, physics accelerators have found its use in the treatment of cancer. For example, proton beams can “burn” the tumor is much more efficient than conventional radiation therapy, in addition, with fewer side effects.

Or this: the mathematical methods used in the analysis of results of particle collisions in the LHC, are used to study interactions between molecules in living cells. This need for new drugs, e.g. from the same cancer.


Boson with a human face

Explanations of things – a special issue related to the promotion of science. It is one thing when telling about his achievements scientists still stereotypically considered abstruse “nerds.” It’s quite another thing when the world sees people who do not hide their emotions, and that is why one wants to listen.

How not to remember the past last summer seminar of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which, in fact, it was announced that the Higgs boson “caught.” Broadcast seminar was live all over the world, text translation and tweet reports of speeches were dozens of bloggers.

highlight of the broadcast, which has become a true mediasobytiem, it does not announce the results of the search (and all so nice to know who and what he would say on the subject), and close-up images to the world in tears dozhivshego to confirm their calculations Peter Higgs .

And for this science “with a human face” boson special thanks.

What will happen next? Similarly, we can say one thing – then there will be new projects in different fields of science, whether searching for dark matter in the universe, or manipulation of individual genomes that will cause new hopes, doubts, fears, and that again will not leave indifferent world.

author’s opinion may not necessarily represent those of

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