British physicist Peter Higgs, known for his theory of the Higgs boson (a particle that confers mass), has died at age 94.
Higgs did pioneering theoretical work in the 1960s which helped explain how elementary particles obtain mass through interaction with an invisible field now known as the Higgs field.
This became known as the Higgs boson or “God particle” and helped unlock secrets of the universe.
Higgs shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work, which was later confirmed through experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in 2012.
He spent nearly five decades as a professor at the University of Edinburgh, which announced his passing on April 8th after a short illness.
Higgs made seminal contributions to particle physics and was praised as an immensely inspiring figure to physicists worldwide for his modesty and ability to explain complex ideas simply.
His theory helped establish the standard model of particle physics and resolve a major puzzle. Higgs leaves behind a significant legacy that continues to motivate scientists.
Source: afp
