Analysts said it would happen. Professor Stephen Hawking said it should happen. And now it has. Peter Higgs, the man who first predicted the existence of the Higgs boson, or ‘God particle’, has been given a Nobel Prize for his efforts along with Belgian physicist Francois Englert.
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Just because Fermilab shut off its famous Tevartron back in 2011 doesn’t mean the entire facility closed down with it. In fact, the Chicago-area physics lab is embarking on an auspicious plan to develop some of the world’s most powerful proton beam technology by the end of the decade. But first, researchers have to install a 50-foot diameter electromagnet shipped in from 3,000 miles away and unlock the secret lives of elusive subatomic particles. No sweat, right?
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I couldn’t tell you what a subatomic particle is, but I can say this… “That there scienc-y jewelry looks purdy.” This line of 3D printed jewelry really does blend nerdy and beauty together very nicely.
3D printing is making all kinds of things possible. Virtox is using the technology to create these necklaces and earrings inspired by actual subatomic particles and their spiral movements in magnetic fields.
Virtox wrote software to follow the paths of different possibilities, and these delicate pieces, called “Quark Jewelry” were born.
Ever since I first learned about subatomic particles and their spiral movements in magnetic fields, I could not help but be inspired. The different charges, masses and speeds determine the trajectories and create these astounding images in bubble chambers. With the arrival of accessible 3d printing, I got to work to capture this beauty in jewelry. I wrote a piece of software that would trace possible (and impossible) orbits and trajectories in 3 dimensions.
Science and fashion collide. You can get your own subatomic particle jewelry over on Virtox’s Quark Jewelry shop on MixeeLabs. Prices start at just $15(USD).
[via Incredible Things via Fashionably Geek]
Last July, scientists announced that they’d discovered what they strongly believed to be the Higgs Boson—but quirks in the data suggested that might not be the case. Now, though, CERN has announced that the observed particle is “looking more and more like a Higgs boson.” More »
The last time CERN and an angry bird met, it didn’t end so well: the Large Hadron Collider overheated after a feathered creature reportedly dropped its breakfast on outdoor machinery. Things should go much more smoothly this time around, with CERN and Rovio partnering on an educational initiative that will be unveiled in full at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 12th. Although the two are shy on just what’s entailed beyond the presence of some Angry Birds material at the event, the union will mark the start of Rovio’s learning brand and likely represent more in the long run than another Angry Birds Space tie-in. We’re mostly wondering if subatomic physics research will explain why we still can’t three-star some levels in a physics-based game.
Continue reading Rovio and CERN teaming up on education: hopefully the Angry Birds help us this time
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Rovio and CERN teaming up on education: hopefully the Angry Birds help us this time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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At a meeting held at CERN this morning, scientists presented the latest results from the search for the long-sought Higgs particle. After 30 years of research and $9 billion of investment, they’ve changed the face of physics forever: they’ve found the Higgs boson. More »
Physics’ big announcement had more in common with a leaky product launch than the serious business of re-writing the science books. But slack asset management aside, it’s official: a new boson has been observed with a standard deviation of 5 (confidence of 99.9%). The highly anticipated announcement came this morning direct from CERN’s press conference (via ICHEP in Melbourne,) and is the result of an intense, ongoing search for the elusive particle. The observation is of a boson particle with a mass of 125.3 ± 0.6 GeV, at a significance of 4.9 sigma. Joe Incandela — giving the presentation — said that this is “In agreement with the standard model at 95% confidence range.” The boson is the heaviest ever found, and although this is still a preliminary result, it’s by far the strongest case yet for the existence of the elusive Higgs.
The sought-after particle is essential for supporting the current understanding of sub-atomic world, and its bearing on nuclear, and electromagnetic interactions. The next stage will be to determine the exact characteristics of the new particle and whether it matches the expectations of the Higgs, or is it in fact something more “exotic.” This part will take much more time, but for now, a (very) small, but important piece of the puzzle has been found.
Update: We’re sure you’ve got many questions, and CERN apparently anticipated this. Check out the more coverage link for a helpful FAQ about everything Higgs.
[Image credit: CERN]
Continue reading CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video)
CERN confirms existence of new particle consistent with Higgs boson (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We had a false alarm over the possible discovery of the theory-unifying Higgs boson last year, but a bit of poking and prodding in subsequent months may well have given us much more definitive evidence of the elusive particle. According to some rare rumors emerging from Nature, both CERN’s ATLAS and CMS detectors have seen particle decay signals suggesting the existence of Higgs to within a 4.5 to 5 sigma level of proof — in other words, very nearly concrete evidence. That’s not quite the 5-plus needed to settle the matter, but it’s to a much higher level of certainty than before. As if to add fuel to the fire, ScienceNews even located a briefly posted, CERN-made video (sadly, since pulled) saying bluntly that the CMS team had “observed a new particle.”
Whether or not there’s any substance is another matter. Nature hears that scientists are supposedly still working out what to say at an event on Wednesday, while CERN has made the slightly odd claim to ScienceNews that the yanked video is just one of several pre-recorded segments made to cover possible outcomes — you know, in that “Dewey defeats Truman” sort of way. Unless the scientists have to go back to the drawing board, though, the focus from now on may be more on learning how Higgs behaves than its very existence. Any significant truth could see researchers proving the validity of the standard model of physics just as we’re firing up our Independence Day barbecues.
Higgs boson just may, possibly, more or less be proven to exist by ATLAS and CMS teams originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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