A Trillionth of a Trillionth of a Second - How Scientists at CERN Discovered the Higgs Boson

A Trillionth of a Trillionth of a Second - How Scientists at CERN Discovered the Higgs Boson

From Quantum Physics for Kids by Subatomic Tanvi

September 14, 2025 · 7 min · Episode 30

About this episode

This episode explores the 48-year-long hunt for the Higgs Boson and the scientific efforts at CERN to confirm its existence.

How do you find a particle that exists for only a trillionth of a trillionth of a second before vanishing? In this episode, we take you on a rollercoaster ride through the incredible 48-year-long hunt for the elusive Higgs Boson. Join us as we explore how scientists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider chased the instantaneous traces of this fundamental particle, collecting vast amounts of data to turn a tantalizing "3 Sigma hint" into a definitive "5 Sigma discovery." Learn about the high-stakes process and the monumental effort it took to finally confirm the existence of the particle responsible for giving everything in the universe its mass.

People in this episode

Host: Subatomic Tanvi

Topics covered

  • Higgs Boson
  • CERN
  • particle physics
  • Large Hadron Collider
  • scientific discovery
  • data analysis

Keywords

  • Higgs Boson
  • CERN
  • Large Hadron Collider
  • particle physics
  • scientific discovery
  • data collection
  • 3 Sigma
  • 5 Sigma

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CERN, Large Hadron Collider

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