Abstract
Powerful symmetry principles have guided physicists in their quest for nature's fundamental laws, The successful gauge theory of electroweak interactions postulates a more extensive symmetry for its equations than are manifest in the world. The discrepancy is ascribed to a pervasive symmetry-breaking field, whicti fills all space uniformly, rendering the Universe a sort of exotic superconductor. So far, the evidence for these bold ideas is indirect. But soon the theory will undergo a critical test depending on whether the quanta of this symmetry-breaking field, the so-called Higgs particles, are produced at the Large Hadran Collider (due to begin operation in 2007).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 239-247 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nature |
Volume | 433 |
Issue number | 7023 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 20 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General