CERN and Higgs boson

[RogerS]

Does anyone know when they are hoping to fire up the new accelerator in CERN to try and find this elusive particle and if they don't find it, does that prove that it doesn't exist because they couldn't find it?

 

[Gill]

I heard on the Dr Karl podcast a couple of weeks ago that they'd had difficulty with one of the magnets (not that I would understand the implications of such difficulties) and were now looking to May 2008. Apparently, the timetable had always been thought to be ambitious but this summer is more realistic.

Gill

 

[AndyBoyd]

I have a mate working on this when we last spoke he told me probably June

Whether they can find the elusive Higgs Boson is another matter altogether, the theory that predicts is is very sound so it's only a matter of time and the correct experimental systems

 

[StevieB]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Thus if they don't find it it doesnt mean its not there, it just means they need more funding to build a bigger particle accelerator :twisted:

Steve.

 

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know when they are hoping to fire up the new accelerator in CERN to try and find this elusive particle and if they don't find it, does that prove that it doesn't exist because they couldn't find it?

Not definitive if they don't find it, but it makes further investigation tricky ajnd possibly the 'stnadard model' will come under closer scrutiny

The New Scentist magazine regularly covers this area and I highly recommend it - I have been a subscriber (40% off cover price) for over 15 years and it is money well spent in my opinion


http://WWW.newscientist.co.uk

 

[Digit]

Or the theory is wrong! Like phlogiston for example. :lol:
Several life long careers were based on the Piltdown Man as well I recall, time will tell.

Roy.

 

[AndyBoyd]

Or the theory is wrong! Like phlogiston for example. :lol:
Several life long careers were based on the Piltdown Man as well I recall, time will tell.

Roy.

Now there's a brave man the standard model being compared to historical guessing hmm makes this quantum physicist smile - well done Roy.

 

[Digit]

What's the difference between good guesses and a theory? Frequently the guess leads to a theory then to proof, Bohr claimed that his view of the atom structure came to him in a dream!
Remember, Einstein couldn't get the 'known' static universe to fit his General Theory so what did he do, in his own words he inserted a 'fudge factor.' In other words he fiddled the figures!
He was later to admit that it was his biggest mistake.
Then of course there was the Ether, that resulted in sufficient learned papers to sink the Titanic!
Just because modern science is modern doesn't mean that mistakes aren't made, that questionable practices don't occur, or that people aren't just plain wrong.
Steady State?
CO2 rising, Earth temp down to mid 80s level, there's money in them there theories!

Roy.

 

[Anonymous]

Or the theory is wrong! Like phlogiston for example. :lol:
Several life long careers were based on the Piltdown Man as well I recall, time will tell.

Roy.

Strange comparison :lol:

The standard model has been tested in thousands and thousadns of experiments and always comes up right......

... except for the Higgs

 

[Digit]

The point I was making Tony is that all those ideas were strongly supported in their day. The current idea that CO2, for example, will cause uncontrolled, or at least dangerously high temps was first peddled, using the same evidence, in 1960/70s, as a prelude to another ice age. In fact the Russians had plans to melt the northern polar ice to prevent it.

Roy.