12.7 Higgs Boson

12.7 Higgs Boson

Fundamental particles are considered to be the six quarks, the six leptons and the gauge bosons (Higgs bosons), which are the carriers of the fundamental forces. Leptons and quarks interact with each other by sending and receiving bosons. For example, electromagnetic interactions occur when two positively charged particles send and receive (exchange) photons. The photons are said to "carry" the force between charged particles. Likewise, attraction between two quarks in an atomic nucleus occurs when two quarks send and receive gluons. Similarly, the $W^{+}$, $W^{-}$ and $Z$ are the bosons that are the carriers of weak nuclear force and gravitons are the carriers of gravitational force. The Higgs boson is a special particle discovered in 2012 at large hadron collider at CERN. It is associated with the Higgs field that permeates all of the space. Its crucial role is that it provides explanation for how the other particles get mass by interacting with it.

The particles that interact strongly with Higgs's field get more mass such as carriers of electroweak interaction i.e., $W^{+}$, $W^{-}$ and $Z$ bosons whereas the particles like photons do not interact with Higgs's field and hence, their rest mass is considered zero. Higgs boson has a mass of around $125$ giga-electron-volts ($\mathrm{GeV}/c^{2}$) and decays rapidly into other particles. Here are some key facts:

1. The Higgs boson gets its mass from its interactions with its associated Higgs's field.

2. It can be a unique portal to find the conditions of universe shortly after the Big Bang and signs of dark matter due to its distinctive characteristics and properties.