Peter Higgs, a physicist from the United Kingdom, was awarded the Nobel Prize on October 8, 2013, for his discovery of the Higgs bosun particle. This particle helps physicists understand the nature of all matter. Mr. Higgs was 83 years old at the time of this award. He had been working on this project for many years, and achieved his goal in 2012.
Our magazine used the analogy of a field of snow to explain the significance of the Higgs bosun particle. On a farmer's field covered with snow, photons, (elementary atomic particles which have no mass) could be compared to skiers, who glide across with little effort. Snow-shoers could tramp across the surface with some effort, comparable to electrons, which do have mass. The Higgs bosun would behave like people trying to walk through deep snow in sneakers. It is a massive elementary particle.
The Higgs bosun was discovered by shooting elementary particles at high speed through an underground reactor with a 17-mile circumference.
