Discovery of the Higgs

The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 confirmed a fundamental part of the universe's structure. Scientists used enormous particle accelerators to smash protons together at high energies, creating conditions similar to the early universe. Among the resulting particles, they identified the Higgs boson—an elusive particle that gives other particles mass through its associated field. Detecting this particle involved analyzing complex data patterns indicating its decay. Confirming the Higgs boson completed the Standard Model of particle physics, enhancing our understanding of how the universe acquires mass and providing a key piece in the puzzle of fundamental physics.