The fact that particles have mass is something most people take for granted. But what actually gives particles mass? Professor of Physics Gerry Guralnik thinks he knows the answer, but researchers are still working to find the proof.
Guralnik's contributions to the field of particle physics — a branch of physics which involves the study of the formation of the universe after the Big Bang — earned him the prestigious J. J. Sakurai Prize last year. He was one of six recipients of the prize, awarded annually by the American Physical Society.
In the 1960s, Guralnik found that equations making up important theories in particle physics have unexpected solutions. Mathematical symmetry is a common element of physical theories, but Guralnik's work indicated that certain equations have nonsymmetrical solutions. These solutions may indicate the existence of massless particles.
Guralnik then formulated a model based on this idea. The model involved a boson, which is a "massive particle with no spin," he said. The boson is popularly known as the Higgs boson, but members of the Department of Physics say it could be called Guralnik's boson as well. To date, it has not been found.
The discovery of the boson would unify the Standard Model, which seeks to explain how electromagnetic, weak and strong forces act on particles. "If (scientists) find this particle, everything comes together. All particle physics of the second half of the 20th century will be unified," Guralnik said.
"We developed a unified way to describe why particles have mass," he said.
In 2009, Guralnik wrote a paper bringing together his work with the theories of Richard Hagen and Tom Kibble, two other key contributors to the field of particle physics.
While Guralnik is a purely theoretical physicist, Physics Professor Meenakshi Narain is an experimentalist. She is part of the international collaboration that is searching for the Higgs boson. Narain regularly travels to Switzerland to take part in experiments involving the Large Hadron Collider. This enormous particle accelerator is used to study extremely small particles, and scientists are trying to use this sophisticated apparatus to find the Higgs boson.
This is "cutting edge research in terms of physics and technology," Narain said, adding that the advanced technology of the particle accelerators and detectors used in the search for the Higgs boson can be useful in other fields, such as medicine and engineering. "The technologies we use are benefiting humanity," she said.
Guralnik proposed the idea that particles obtain mass through interactions with the Higgs boson. "People have been looking for the Higgs boson for a long time," Narain said.
