The Higgs Field, explained - Don Lincoln
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0:07 - 0:07Without a doubt,
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0:07 - 0:10the most exciting scientific observation of 2012
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0:10 - 0:12was the discovery of a new particle
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0:12 - 0:13at the CERN laboratory
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0:13 - 0:15that could be the Higgs boson,
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0:15 - 0:19a particle named after physicist Peter Higgs.
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0:19 - 0:20The Higgs Field is thought to give mass
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0:20 - 0:22to fundamental, subatomic particles
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0:22 - 0:22like the quarks
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0:22 - 0:23and leptons
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0:23 - 0:25that make up ordinary matter.
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0:25 - 0:28The Higgs bosons are wiggles in the field,
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0:28 - 0:28like the bump you see
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0:28 - 0:30when you twitch a rope.
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0:30 - 0:33But how does this field give mass to particles?
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0:33 - 0:34If this sounds confusing to you,
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0:34 - 0:36you're not alone.
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0:36 - 0:38In 1993, the British Science Minister
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0:38 - 0:41challenged physicists to invent a simple way
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0:41 - 0:43to understand all this Higgs stuff.
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0:43 - 0:45The prize was a bottle of quality champagne.
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0:45 - 0:48The winning explanation went something like this:
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0:48 - 0:50Suppose there's a large cocktail party
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0:50 - 0:51at the CERN laboratory
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0:51 - 0:53filled with particle physics researchers.
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0:53 - 0:56This crowd of physicists represents the Higgs field.
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0:56 - 0:59If a tax collector entered the party,
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0:59 - 1:00nobody would want to talk to them,
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1:00 - 1:02and they could very easily cross the room
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1:02 - 1:03to get to the bar.
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1:03 - 1:06The tax collector wouldn't interact with the crowd
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1:06 - 1:07in much the same way
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1:07 - 1:10that some particles don't interact with the Higgs field.
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1:10 - 1:11The particles that don't interact,
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1:11 - 1:13like photons for example,
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1:13 - 1:14are called massless.
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1:14 - 1:17Now, suppose that Peter Higgs entered the same room,
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1:17 - 1:19perhaps in search of a pint.
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1:19 - 1:20In this case, the physicists
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1:20 - 1:22will immediately crowd around Higgs
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1:22 - 1:23to discuss with him
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1:23 - 1:25their efforts to measure the properties
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1:25 - 1:27of his namesake boson.
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1:27 - 1:29Because he interacts strongly with the crowd,
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1:29 - 1:31Higgs will move slowly across the room.
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1:31 - 1:32Continuing our analogy,
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1:32 - 1:34Higgs has become a massive particle
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1:34 - 1:36through his interactions with the field.
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1:36 - 1:38So, if that's the Higgs field,
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1:38 - 1:40how does the Higgs boson fit into all of this?
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1:40 - 1:42Let's pretend our crowd of party goers
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1:42 - 1:45is uniformly spread across the room.
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1:45 - 1:47Now suppose someone pops their head in the door
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1:47 - 1:48to report a rumor of a discovery
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1:48 - 1:51at some distant, rival laboratory.
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1:51 - 1:53People near the door will hear the rumor,
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1:53 - 1:54but people far away won't,
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1:54 - 1:56so they'll move closer to the door to ask.
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1:56 - 1:58This will create a clump in the crowd.
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1:58 - 2:00As people have heard the rumor,
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2:00 - 2:01they will return to their original positions
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2:01 - 2:03to discuss its implications,
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2:03 - 2:06but people further away will then ask what's going on.
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2:06 - 2:08The result will be a clump in the crowd
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2:08 - 2:10that moves across the room.
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2:10 - 2:13This clump is analogous to the Higgs boson.
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2:13 - 2:14It is important to remember
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2:14 - 2:16that it is not that massive particles
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2:16 - 2:17interact more with the Higgs field.
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2:17 - 2:19In our analogy of the party,
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2:19 - 2:22all particles are equal until they enter the room.
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2:22 - 2:25Both Peter Higgs and the tax collector have zero mass.
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2:25 - 2:27It is the interaction with the crowd
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2:27 - 2:29that causes them to gain mass.
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2:29 - 2:30I'll say that again.
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2:30 - 2:33Mass comes from interactions with a field.
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2:33 - 2:34So, let's recap.
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2:34 - 2:36A particle gets more or less mass
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2:36 - 2:38depending on how it interacts with a field,
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2:38 - 2:40just like different people will move through the crowd
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2:40 - 2:44at different speeds depending on their popularity.
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2:44 - 2:45And the Higgs boson is just a clump in the field,
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2:45 - 2:47like a rumor crossing the room.
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2:47 - 2:49Of course, this analogy is just that --
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2:49 - 2:50an analogy,
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2:50 - 2:51but it's the best analogy
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2:51 - 2:53anyone has come up with so far.
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2:53 - 2:54So, that's it.
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2:54 - 2:55That's what the Higgs Field
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2:55 - 2:57and the Higgs boson is all about.
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2:57 - 2:59Continuing research will tell us if we found it,
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2:59 - 3:01and the reward will probably be more
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3:01 - 3:04than just a bottle of champagne.
- Title:
- The Higgs Field, explained - Don Lincoln
- Description:
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View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-higgs-field-explained-don-lincoln
One of the most significant scientific discoveries of the early 21st century is surely the Higgs boson, but the boson and the Higgs Field that allows for that magic particle are extremely difficult to grasp. Don Lincoln outlines an analogy that all of us can appreciate, starring a large dinner party, a raucous group of physicists, and Peter Higgs himself.
Lesson by Don Lincoln, animation by Powerhouse Animation Studios Inc.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:20
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