By: Vibhuti Pathak
Peter Higgs, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist renowned for proposing the existence of the Higgs boson particle, has passed away at the age of 94. He died at his home in Edinburgh on Monday.
Higgs received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 for his groundbreaking work in 1964, which demonstrated how the Higgs boson contributes to the cohesion of the universe by imparting mass to particles.
His theory was confirmed by experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, in 2012. François Englert, a Belgian theoretical physicist, who also contributed to the discovery in 1964, shared the Nobel Prize with Higgs.
The Higgs-Boson Theory explains that everything, including you and everything around you, is made of tiny particles. When the universe started, these particles didn’t have any weight; they moved fast.
Stars, planets, and life could only form because these particles gained weight from a special field connected to the Higgs boson. In 2012, scientists found the Higgs boson particle at CERN, proving that this field exists.
Throughout his illustrious career, Higgs was associated with the University of Edinburgh, where the Higgs Center for Theoretical Physics was established in his honour in 2012. His legacy as a scientist and educator continues to inspire generations of physicists.
Peter Higgs was remembered not only for his scientific contributions but also for his modesty and ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. His passing is mourned by colleagues and the wider scientific community, which recognises his profound impact on the understanding of the universe.
Higgs is survived by his two sons, Chris and Jonny, his daughter-in-law, Suzanne, and two grandchildren. His wife, Jody, from whom he was separated, passed away in 2008.
