Home / Topics / Particle Physics & Cosmology
Higgs boson
Advanced
Field that gives mass to elementary particles, discovered in 2012.
The excitation of the Higgs field, which gives mass to W and Z and (through Yukawa couplings) to fermions. Discovered at the LHC in 2012 with mass 125 GeV.
Nobel Prize 2013 for Englert and Higgs.
Doesn't explain most of the proton's mass.
In more detail
The Higgs boson is the particle associated with the Higgs field, which gives mass to elementary particles through their interaction with the field. It was discovered at the LHC in 2012.
Real-world uses
- The Higgs field explains why W and Z bosons and fermions have mass.
- Studies of the Higgs boson test the Standard Model.
- The Large Hadron Collider discovered the Higgs boson in 2012, confirming how particles gain mass.
Open the interactive lesson, with simulation and quiz →
Frequently asked questions
Does the Higgs boson give mass to everything?
It gives mass to many elementary particles, but most of the mass of protons comes from the strong force.
Who won the Nobel Prize?
Peter Higgs and François Englert, in 2013.
What does the Higgs field do?
It gives mass to the W and Z bosons and to quarks and leptons through their interaction with the field.
Related topics in Particle Physics & Cosmology
Hadrons · Antimatter · Gauge bosons · Standard Model · Colour charge and QCD · Asymptotic freedom