The Illusive "Higgs"

In today's universe, there are many types of particles, influenced by four forces: gravity, color, the weak nuclear force, and the electromagnetic force. Physicists are trying to prove that "in the beginning" only a single primal force operated, which later developed and split into the four forces known today.

 

In fact, physicists have already succeeded in unifying the electromagnetic force with the weak nuclear force, and hav called e shown that both are just a facet of a more ancient force: the electro-weak force. However, this achievement rests on the existence of a force-carrying particle called "Higgs," whose existence has yet to be empirically proven. Thousands of scientists worldwide are taking part in an intense search for this elusive particle (which is also believed to account for a large percentage of the mass in the universe). Prof. Eilam Gross of the Weizmann Institute's Particle Physics Department is participating in this international effort.

Attempts to prove the existence of the "Higgs" particle are taking place primarily in the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, where a new accelerator presently under construction is expected to become operative in a few years. The success of this effort depends mainly upon the mass of the "Higgs" particle. Gross is a major contributor to the experiments aiming to determine its mass.

Prof. Eilam Gross's work is supported by the Minerva Stiftung Gesellschaft fur die Forschung m.b.H.