He found the professor. Peter Higgs - learned from a neighbor that got ... - Gazeta Wyborcza

84-year-old Peter Higgs received the Nobel Prize together with Francois Englert for explaining the mechanism by which the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles of – gaining weight. In this mechanism, a key role in discovering the particle, called the “God particle” or the “Higgs boson.” The theory of Nobel Prize winners invented in the mid-60s, but it was only last year after a long search for the Higgs particle was discovered at CERN near Geneva. What today in Edinburgh professor. Higgs told reporters

class=”txt_pytanie”> has learned about the award?

– I was coming back from lunch. I approached the car. I caught 60 – or 70-year-old woman, was my neighbor. She said, “Oh, by the way congratulations on the good news.” I asked him about what messages she meant. Then she said that I got the Nobel Prize. Her daughter informed who called from London. More then already learned at home when I started to read text messages.

first reaction?

– Of course, satisfaction, or perhaps a feeling of relief that it’s over. It took a long time. I know – told me of an old friend – I was nominated for the award already in 1980. Then for many years I was convinced that the experimental confirmation of the theory will not happen in my lifetime. When, however, a couple of years ago launched the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, it has become clear that it is the will, despite initial difficulties.

Is CERN also should be rewarded ?

– certainly CERN also should get a prize. The problem is that it can be awarded to organizations. I must point out that no theory developed independently. There were a total of six, who came up with the mechanism of weight gain by the particle.

What use can have a “Higgs boson”?

– His discovery was extremely important to confirm that our knowledge about the structure of the universe is correct. But it’s hard to use it right away, because as a separate entity “Higgs boson” is very short. Finding a use for it goes beyond today’s knowledge, the development of technologies based on our theories of the work for future generations.

What prompted him to become interested in physics?

– In high school I was not very interested in physics. I preferred chemistry. I had the best grades of languages, including English and maths. Physics is the latest passion. Certainly inspired me, Paul Dirac, English Nobel laureate in physics, who worked on the structure of matter and before he went to the same school. I was curious what he done. The end of the war, when Japan broke two nuclear bombs, I went to class two professors of physics at Bristol, who recounted how the atomic bomb. Were very popular. That’s how it started.

And if not physics, it’s who she is?

– Probably mathematician. And if I was still a young student, the more attention would invest biology. In the 50s, when I was doing a PhD, discovered the structure of DNA, and suddenly completely changed the landscape in this area of ??science, began to be attractive.

My advice to young people: try to get the broadest possible education, so that you can at any time to change the direction of interest. Too narrow specialization is not a good option these days.

What do you do with the money?

– I still do not know, I have to rethink.

What now? What do you take when you have “Higgs boson” is discovered?

– I guess I should start thinking about a trip to Stockholm.