Science NIE ACTIVITY Science Matters!

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MATTERS!
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By Evangelos Hadjimichael PhD The Higgs Particle

Ever since the Greek Philosopher Democritus figured out that all matter is made of atoms, scientists have MEET THE SCIENTIST
continued the search to discover the elementary components of matter. In modern times the most successful
model that particle physicists have constructed is known as the “Standard Model” and consists of 61 E. Hadjimichael, PhD
elementary, non-divisible particles that are meant to explain all luminous matter and all phenomena in the I am a professor of Physics and Engineering at Fairfield University. For most of my research
luminous universe. These particles include electrons, protons and neutrons that may be familiar to you. career, my interests and published work were in theoretical physics. In recent years, my focus
shifted to nanoscience, nanotechnology and sustainable energy. Additionally, I have devoted many
Before July 4, 2012, sixty of the 61 particles of the Standard Model had been identified in laboratory years to promoting science and engineering in education. I am the founding Dean of the School
experiments. The 61st – the Higgs boson – was only hypothesized. Based on theoretical models of of Engineering at Fairfield University and served as Dean for 15 years. When I was younger I was
fundamental forces, these sixty particles should not have any mass at all. Experiments proved otherwise, interested in reading everything that came my way, including science and mathematics. In high
indicating that among the sixty particles there is a vast variation in mass, ranging from zero mass to huge school I discovered the pleasure of physics, and chose to be a physics major in college. Eventually,
masses for some quarks and bosons. But what is causing all of these particles to have mass? I earned a doctorate in physics from the University of California in Berkeley.
In the early 1960’s Peter Higgs and three other research groups developed a mathematical model for
a “field” that permeates all space, the Higgs field, which triggers the “Higgs mechanism” by which the Skills and Knowledge
particles of the Standard Model could acquire mass. Think of a wet beach ball rolling through sand, To be a physics professor and researcher it is helpful to have a PhD. There are many different
gathering more sand – or mass – as it moves along the beach, imagined to be the Higgs field *(see useful areas of specialization within the field of physics, including particle physics, which was discussed
links). In the Higgs model, as a particle interacts with the Higgs field it becomes endowed with energy in this article. Physicists also work in such areas as nuclear structure, atomic structure and atomic
in the form of mass. Further, the stronger the interaction of a particle with the Higgs field, the larger its phenomena, solid state of matter, energy, optical phenomena, biophysical processes, astronomy
acquired mass. The Higgs field has a matching particle, the “Higgs boson” with properties predicted by and cosmology. Math skills are essential to all work in physics.
the model. If scientists could detect the Higgs boson, this would confirm the existence of the Higgs field. Words to Know
To hunt for the Higgs boson, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest experimental tool in the history Atoms: Atoms are the extremely small particles of which we, and everything around us, are made.
of science, was built at the European Center for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland. LHC lies in The atom is comprised of three major particles—protons (positively charged), neutrons (neutral
a tunnel 27 kilometers in circumference, beneath the French-Swiss border. Ten thousand scientists and charge) and electrons (negatively charged).
engineers from over 100 countries collaborated in this investigation. Two beams of protons travelling in
opposite directions, accelerated to extremely high energies in the LHC, collide at specific points along their Standard Model: The standard model is the name given in the 1970s to a theory of fundamental
path. In the debris of particles that emanate at the point of the high-energy collision, a signal revealing particles and how they interact. It incorporated all that was known about subatomic particles at
the formation and decay of the Higgs boson was seen first on July 4, 2012. It was confirmed later by the time and predicted the existence of additional particles as well.
additional data. With this discovery of the 61st particle, the Standard Model is now complete. In 2013,
Peter Higgs and Francois Englert, who also hypothesized the Higgs boson, won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Luminous Matter: Matter that interacts with “light” (electromagnetic radiation) by emitting
it, scattering it, reflecting it, absorbing and re-emitting it; it is not just visible light which can be
Yet, the Standard model, as successful as it is, does not explain all. Particle physicists and cosmologists sensed by our eyes, but also gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, infrared, microwaves and radio waves.
have been researching extensions of the model that might resolve the mystery of Dark Matter in the
Universe. Perhaps you would like to join in the search? Particle Physicists: Scientists who study the microscopic components of matter and their
interactions.
For Students and Teachers Making Curriculum Connections Mass: Mass is a measure of the number of atoms in an object combined with the density of
Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Mathematics those atoms.
• [Link].MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• [Link].MP3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Quarks: Quarks are the particles that combine to form protons and neutrons.
• [Link].MP4 Model with mathematics Bosons: There are four forces (Electromagnetic, Strong, Weak, and Gravity) that are responsible
• [Link].MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically for all physical phenomena. Bosons are particles that mediate the forces between matter particles.

Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE): Science Framework Dark Matter: Dark matter refers to material that can't be detected by emitted radiation but
• Grade 9, Strand I: Energy Transformations whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter, like stars and galaxies.
• Energy cannot be created or destroyed; however, energy can be converted from one form to another. Useful Links
• The electrical force is a universal force that exists between any two charged objects.
Particle Fever trailer: [Link]
• Grade 9, Strand II: Chemical Structures and Properties [Link]
• Atoms have a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons.
*Jason Kendall, [Link]
• The configuration of atoms and molecules determines the properties of the materials.
[Link]