Higgs Boson!

The long-sought Higgs boson is the theoretical particle that endows all elementary particles in the universe with mass, and UChicagoans are part of the hunt. University of Chicago physicists play key roles at Fermilab and in many aspects of one of the LHC’s two primary Higgs-related experiments, called ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS). A UChicago alumnus serves as scientific spokesman of the other experiment, called CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid). Each experiment is a massive collection of instruments, each built at a different point along the 16.8-mile loop that comprises the LHC. Read more here.

(During a recent visit to CERN, James Pilcher, professor in physics (center), posed for this photograph with other members of the UChicago ATLAS Group.)