I once was an active chessplayer, but work duties have long taken tournaments off my plate - I simply do not have the time to sit through long hours of chess battles. So I play blitz online on chess.com (my handle is "tommasodorigo", in case you wondered).
The path of the LHC experiments to the successful observation of a Higgs boson has not been the smoothest I could think of, with delays in construction, incidents, and the like; but we are finally there. And now, with over 10/fb of data fully analyzed and presented at ICHEP, we can take stock and draw the "summer 2012" picture on existing and non-existing subnuclear entities, the non-existing ones notably including SUSY particles and other new physics candidates which are periodically evoked by theorists to mend the shortcomings of the standard model.
Okay, so after the wondeful announcement of two days ago, we have the rest of our life to take stock. But we need not wait until we get old, so let me begin today by listing some "ex post" thoughts related to the Higgs hunt and discovery. I imagine I will have more thoughts as this thing cools off, but here is something to start with.
Yesterday the Italian newspaper "Il Manifesto" featured two pieces written by yours truly on the discovery of the Higgs boson. I was delighted to have a chance to write for that newspaper, which has an illustrious history and is totally independent (and on the verge of being shut down). By the way, I must thank Peter Woit who suggested the reporters of the newspaper to contact me for the piece.The articles are in Italian, but I can make an effort at translating them for you here.
Rolf is drawing the conclusions. He just asked the audience:"I think we have it. Do you agree ?" And a roar of consensus fills the auditorium.The slide says "The observation of a new particle consistent with a Higgs boson".It is a historic milestone, but only the beginning.A standing ovation follows. Then a connection with Melbourne, with the other auditorium applauding. Now questions in the CERN site ensuing.Theorists take the stage, Higgs saying it is an extraordinary achievement for the lab, and that he is glad that it happened in his lifetime.A very moving finale !
[ The previous entries of this live blogging series are available here (part 1) , here (part 2) , here (part 3) , here (part 4), and
[ The first three entries of this live blogging series are available here (part 1) and here (part 2) and here (part 3) and here (part 4) and
[ The first three entries of this live blogging series are available here (part 1) and here (part 2) and here (part 3) and here (part 4)].
[ The first three entries of this live blogging series are available here (part 1) and here (part 2) and here (part 3)]
[ The first two entries of this live blogging series are available here (part 1) and here (part 2) ]
This is the second post of a series of blogs that I am writing this morning, July 4th, to describe the ongoing happenings at CERN, where at 9AM the Higgs boson Observation will be announced by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. Please reload this page at 10 minute intervals if you want to hear the latest news, or see the previous entries.Entry 1 - Where's the queue ?
5.30 AM. Getting in at CERN through the B entrance I see no living soul. "Ha" -I tell myself- "I have been worrying too much".5.36 AM. But the people is all here since last night ! There is a huge queue of 180 people already, extending from the doors of the Main Auditorium all the way up the aisle and back down on the other side. Most of the higgs enthusiasts have camped since last night here, and there is even a couple of guys with wide shoulders (but a polite smile) that direct newcomers to the end of the line.Here are a couple of pictures of the queue as of now: the head of the queue close to the doors of the auditorium,
By now it's been written on so many newspapers and magazines -including Nature (the magazine, not the bitch)- that if a colleague of mine tries to reproach me for writing about the impending seminar at CERN, where ATLAS and CMS are vented to be showing observation-level signals of a new particle which smells like the Higgs and quacks like the Higgs, I will publically send him or her to hell.Besides, I have been cited as a "tease" in a nice summary which appeared in the Atlantic Wire site today. The line describing me (next to a picture that is N years old but which is dear to me for some reason) is the following:
