The Higgs Boson and Beyond

Course Overview

Join the hunt for a mysterious particle (first name: Higgs, last name: boson) that could explain, once and for all, the nature of our universe. The discovery of the Higgs boson is a triumph of modern physics. The hunt for the Higgs was the subject of wide media attention due to the cost of the project, the complexity of the experiment, and the importance of its result. When it was announced with great fanfare in 2012 that physicists had succeeded in creating and identifying this all-important new particle, the discovery was celebrated around the world. Yet, virtually no one who read that news could tell you what, exactly, the Higgs boson was, and why its discovery was so important that we had to spend 10 billion dollars and build the single largest and most complex device in the history of mankind in order to find it.

When you understand the details, this story ranks as one of the most thrilling in the history of modern science. Award-winning theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, a brilliant researcher as well as a gifted speaker who excels in explaining scientific concepts to the public, is perfectly positioned to tell this story. In this 12-lecture masterpiece of scientific reporting, you’ll learn everything you need to know to fully grasp the significance of this discovery, including the basics of quantum mechanics; the four forces that comprise the Standard Model of particle physics; how these forces are transmitted by fields and particles; and the importance of symmetry in physics. You also get an in-depth view of the Large Hadron Collider—the largest machine ever built, and the device responsible for finally revealing the concept of the Higgs boson as reality. By the end, you’ll understand how the Higgs boson verifies the final piece in the Standard Model of particle physics, and how its discovery validates and deepens our understanding of the universe.

Course Structure

01: The Importance of the Higgs Boson

Why was the discovery of the Higgs boson such a big deal? That’s the key question that Professor Carroll tackles in his illuminating introduction. Take a fascinating dive into the world of modern particle physics and see how the Higgs is the missing piece of a scientific puzzle that helps us understand the “rules” for the universe.
Duration: 33 min

02: Quantum Field Theory

Toss out the textbook image of electrons circling an atom’s nucleus. This lecture explores the big twist of quantum field theory: The world isn’t really made of particles. They’re fascinating and necessary figments of quantum mechanics created by observing the fields that fill every inch of the universe, and grasping that eye-opening concept is essential to understanding the Higgs.
Duration: 32 min

03: Atoms to Particles

Now that you know what particles really are, it’s time to walk through the “particle zoo” and explore the roles of photons, gluons, and quarks. Along the way, Professor Carroll looks back on the development of the Standard Model and how our changing understanding of the weak nuclear field suggested the existence of the Higgs years before we found it.
Duration: 31 min

04: The Power of Symmetry

Symmetries don’t only apply to geometrical objects. They apply to the laws of physics themselves. In this lecture, you may feel your mind twist in asymmetrical ways as you explore how symmetry governs the known forces of nature and how it helped form a wild theory that an as-yet-undiscovered particle—the Higgs—must exist.
Duration: 31 min

05: The Higgs Field

With the basics of particle physics covered, Professor Carroll walks us through the decades-long hunt for the Higgs. You’ll meet the many brilliant minds—Anderson, Englert, and Higgs among them—who determinedly set out to solve the mystery of the weak nuclear field. You’ll also discover why Angelina Jolie is like a top quark.
Duration: 33 min

06: Mass and Energy

In this lecture, “classical” physics, as explained by Newtonian and Einsteinian mechanics, provides insight into what makes the Higgs so special. Uncover the key to the Higgs’s uniqueness in the particle zoo—that even at its minimum energy state (its “resting” state), the Higgs field has a large, constant value.
Duration: 31 min

07: Colliding Particles

Once physicists established the need for the Higgs boson to exist, how did they set out to locate it? It was just a matter of bringing the particles and fields together under the right conditions. You’ll see how physicists use Feynman diagrams to keep track of how virtual particles carry the various forces between quarks and leptons.
Duration: 31 min

08: Particle Accelerators and Detectors

Want to build your own particle accelerator? You’ll need a lot of money, a lot of room, and the information that Professor Carroll shares in this lecture. You’ll learn that particle accelerators aren’t simply “atom smashers.” They bring into existence new particles that weren’t there before.
Duration: 32 min

09: The Large Hadron Collider

If blacksmithing were like particle physics, the Large Hadron Collider would be the anvil. Seventeen miles around and representing the unprecedented cooperation of scientists worldwide over the course of years, the LHC is a remarkable achievement. Explore its construction, capabilities, and amazing promise for the future of physics.
Duration: 32 min

10: Capturing the Higgs Boson

Looking for a needle in a haystack? Try looking for a never-before-seen particle in the largest machine ever built. With the LHC complete, the search for the Higgs began in earnest, and particle physics combined with probability to find the missing piece in the Standard Model puzzle. Professor Carroll describes both the exciting hunt and the key players in the amazing discovery.
Duration: 31 min

11: Beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics

Now that the Higgs boson has been found, everything is answered, right? Not quite. Professor Carroll says the properties of the Higgs suggest that something else is at work out there. Moreover, the Higgs boson can be a stepping-stone to our exploration of dark matter, extra dimensions, the asymmetry of matter and antimatter, and a Grand Unified Theory of particle physics.
Duration: 32 min

12: Frontiers-Higgs in Space

The Standard Model explains the forces and molecules that comprise us and everything with which we interact. But even with the Higgs, we can’t explain the stuff that makes up 95% of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. In his conclusion, Professor Carroll shines a light on dark matter, its relationship with the Higgs, and the wonderful mysteries still ahead.
Duration: 34 min