Standard Model : Discovery News

Big Question for 2012: Is the Higgs Boson Real?

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Dec 13, 2011 05:28 PM ET | 0

After detecting "tentative hints" for its existence, physicists are confident that a definitive answer for whether or not the Higgs boson exists will come in 2012. Read more

Big Question for 2012: Is the Higgs Boson Real?

Has the Elusive Higgs Boson Been Spotted?

Posted Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:12 AM ET | 0

A glimpse of the mysterious particle may have been uncovered by the LHC, but physicists are careful not to call it a "discovery." Read more

Fermilab's 'Bump Hunters' See Hints of New Particle

Posted by Jennifer Ouellette Sun Jun 5, 2011 06:16 PM ET | 0

Physicists at Fermilab's Tevatron particle accelerator have detected the potential signal from an unpredicted new particle. Is this a sign of "new physics"? Or is it a dud? Read more

LHC Smashes Particle Collision Record

Posted Tue May 24, 2011 01:38 AM ET | 0

The rate of particle collisions in the world's largest particle accelerator has multiplied 10-fold in the space of a month. Read more

Overexcited Rumors of LHC Higgs Boson Discovery

Posted by Ian O'Neill Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:49 AM ET | 0

When on the cutting edge of physics, try not to pay too much attention to internal memos. Read more

What Has the Tevatron Really Discovered?

Posted by Ian O'Neill Thu Apr 7, 2011 04:48 PM ET | 0

If you're a little hazy about the details of Wednesday's buzz surrounding the potential discovery of "new physics" in Fermilab's Tevatron particle accelerator, don't worry, you're not alone. Read more

Has the Tevatron Discovered New Physics?

Posted Wed Apr 6, 2011 02:32 PM ET | 0

Physicists at Fermilab's soon-to-retire Tevatron particle accelerator are about to announce something big. But no, it's not the Higgs. Read more

The Higgs Boson May Have 'Five Faces'

Posted by Jennifer Ouellette Mon Jun 21, 2010 06:29 AM ET | 0

When it comes to the hunt for the elusive Higgs Boson, perhaps we've been thinking too small. What if there's more than one Higgs? A new theory suggests there might be another four to add to the Higgs Family. Read more

Review: 'The Edge of Physics' by Anil Ananthaswamy

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Apr 20, 2010 05:10 AM ET | 0

A review of a new physics book with a difference: It's an adventure of global proportions, it explains complex physics in a non-threatening way, and there's humor thrown in for good measure. Read more

Review: 'The Edge of Physics' by Anil Ananthaswamy

Exotic 'Electroweak' Star Predicted

Posted by Ian O'Neill Sat Apr 3, 2010 12:16 AM ET | 0

When a star dies, depending on its mass, it will form a white dwarf, neutron star or a black hole. Or will it? Perhaps there's an intermediate "electroweak" phase that may save the remnant from black hole doom. Read more

Why Are Quark Stars So Strange?

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:35 PM ET | 0

What happens if a stellar remnant is too massive to be a neutron star, but not massive enough to become a black hole? Actually, until recently, astrophysicists didn't think there was a grey area between neutron stars and black holes; ... Read more

The LHC In A Nutshell

Posted by Lori Cuthbert Tue Dec 1, 2009 12:41 PM ET | 0

During the planning of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Wide Angle, Discovery News Editor-in-Chief Lori Cuthbert discussed some questions about LHC physics with Space Producer Ian O'Neill. Here are the best bits... Read more

Large Hadron Collider Higgs event simulation (CERN)

First Proton Collisions in the LHC

Posted by Ian O'Neill Mon Nov 23, 2009 03:09 PM ET | 0

After the early announcement on Friday that CERN had successfully circulated the first protons around the 17 mile-long ring of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), really early news of the first ever particle collisions inside the LHC has been announced.... Read more

It's Elemental, My Dear Watson

Posted by Jennifer Ouellette Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:05 PM ET | 0

It's practically a cliche these days to compare scientific pursuits to unraveling a mystery, but it's an accurate description of the ongoing search for neutrinos. Neutrinos, the so-called "ghost particles," rarely interact with other particles, which... Read more

Large Hadron Collider Circulates Proton Beam

Posted by Ian O'Neill Fri Nov 20, 2009 04:03 PM ET | 0

For the first time since September 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has circulated a beam of protons fully around its 17 mile-long ring of supercooled electromagnets. The last time this happened was shortly before the LHC suffered a devastating... Read more