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This week we lost one of the greatest theoretical physicists— Peter Higgs (1929 -2024).
Peter Higgs gained fame for his discovery of the ‘Higgs-Boson Particle’ i.e. ‘God Particle’.
It was Higgs, who first postulated the existence of a boson (a subatomic particle with integral spin).
Higgs explained how this elementary particle of unusual properties could pervade the universe in the form of an invisible field, giving other elementary particles their masses.
That was in 1964 six decades ago!
Half a century later, in 2012, newer experiments confirmed his prediction.
The boson is called the Higgs boson (named after him).
In 2013, Higgs and Francois Englert won the Physics Nobel Prize for their work on the Higgs boson (the God particle) — a vital key to explaining the universe.
Higgs died on 8 Apr 2024, aged 94.
Higgs was a modest person— uncomfortable with fame and stayed away from the spotlight.
He was inaccessible by e-mail or mobile phone.
We should also know how the term Boson came into existence.
‘Higgs Boson’ is named after Peter Higgs, whereas, ‘Boson’ is named after an Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose.
This is where India’s contribution comes wrt the discovery of the ‘God Particle.’
A few lines for the great Satyendra Nath Bose, who did exceptional work in quantum mechanics and mathematical physics.
Bose wrote a research paper on quantum statistics which was NOT published by a British Journal.
So, Bose sent his research paper to Albert Einstein, who understood its significance and got it published in a German journal.
The term ‘Boson’ was coined by Einstein himself for this discovery by Satyendra Nath Bose, and the term was used in the German journal for the first time.
Satyendra Nath Bose received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honor.
