SEMINAR

Closing in on the Higgs Boson

Prof. Mark Kruse

(Duke University, USA)

Sala P7, IST, Edifício Matemática
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 04:00 PM

Abstract

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, is currently preparing for proton-proton collisions at unprecendented energies. The highly anticipated physics that will result is expected to uncover many discoveries and change the way we think about the Universe. One of the fundamental questions in particle physics concerns the origin of mass and the breaking of the electroweak symmetry (EWSB). The discovery of a Higgs boson would provide a breakthrough to our understanding of the mechanism behind EWSB and is considered one of the most important quests currently in physics. While the LHC is gearing up for collisions, the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab is steadily accumulating data (at a lower collision energy) and also making a serious bid for a Higgs boson discovery, producing a fascinating race in particle physics. Being involved in both the CDF experiment at Fermilab (as convener of the "Higgs Discovery Group"), and as a member of the ATLAS collaboration at the LHC, I will survey the current status of this race which is unfolding now with increasing intensity.