What is your understanding of the Higgs Boson?
442127
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive scalar elementary particle predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. It is the only Standard Model particle not yet observed, but plays a key role in explaining the origins of the mass of other elementary particles, in particular the difference between the massless photon and the very heavy W and Z bosons. Elementary particle masses, and the differences between electromagnetism (caused by the photon) and the weak force (caused by the W and Z bosons), are critical to many aspects of the structure of microscopic (and hence macroscopic) matter; thus if it exists, the Higgs boson has an enormous effect on the world around us.\n\nAs of 2006, no experiment has directly detected the existence of the Higgs boson, but there is some indirect evidence for it. The Higgs boson was first predicted in 1963 by the British physicist Peter Higgs, working from the ideas of Philip Anderson, and independently by others.\nThe particle called Higgs boson is in fact the quantum of one of the components of a Higgs field. In empty space, the Higgs field acquires a non-zero value, which permeates every place in the universe at all times. This vacuum expectation value (vev) of the Higgs field is constant and equal to 246 GeV. The existence of this non-zero vev plays a fundamental role: it gives mass to every elementary particle, including to the Higgs boson itself. In particular, the acquisition of a non-zero vev spontaneously breaks the electroweak gauge symmetry, a phenomenon known as the Higgs mechanism. This is the only known mechanism capable of giving mass to the gauge bosons that is also compatible with gauge theories.\n\nIn the Standard Model, the Higgs field consists of two neutral and two charged component fields. One of the neutral and the charged component fields are Goldstone bosons, which are massless and unphysical. They become the longitudinal third-polarization components of the massive W and Z bosons. The quantum of the remaining neutral component corresponds to the massive Higgs boson. Since the Higgs field is a scalar field, the Higgs boson has spin zero. This means that this particle has no intrinsic angular momentum and that a collection of Higgs bosons satisfies the Bose-Einstein statistics.\n\nThe Standard Model does not predict the value of the Higgs boson mass. It has been argued that if the mass of the Higgs boson lies between about 130 and 190 GeV, then the Standard Model can be valid at energy scales all the way up to the Planck scale (1016 TeV). However, most theorists expect new physics beyond the Standard Model to emerge at the TeV-scale, based on some unsatisfactory properties of the Standard Model. The highest possible mass scale allowed for the Higgs boson (or some other electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism) is around one TeV; beyond this point, the Standard Model becomes inconsistent without such a mechanism because unitarity is violated in certain scattering processes. Many models of Supersymmetry predict that the lightest Higgs boson (of several) will have a mass only slightly above the current experimental limits, at around 120 GeV or less.
641487
Pauli thru his exclusion principle. For Bosons this is not absolutely true.
505385
Here ya go!\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bose-Einstein_condensate
1182405
I don't really believe in this God-particle everybody is talking about here....\n\nThe scientific theory is that the Universe started as a fluctuation of the vacuum. Such vacuum fluctuations make appear a small amount of energy, for a small time. This phenomenon is responsible for the existence of forces, that hold the Universe and matter together.\n\nNormally the bigger the energy fluctuation, the smaller the time it is in existence.\n\nNot so the Big Bang. That was a HUGE fluctuation. So big that a lot of energy came to appearance in the form of mass, elementary particles. These particles started expanding, before the vacuum could reclaim the energy.\n\nAnd it is still expanding today. 14 billion years later.
664853
One basic idea for analyzing a mathematical object is to look at morphisms into 'simple' objects of that type.\n\nFor example, a group G operating on a set S is a homomorphism of G into the symmetric group Sym(S). We regard the symmetric groups as 'simple' objects that we can use to understand other groups.\n\nA group representation is a homomorphism of the group G into the group gl(V) of invertible linear transformations on some vector space V. The good thing about this is that you get all of linear algebra to help you understand the group gl(V) and its subgroups, and hence to understand the group G. The homomorphism is called a representation of G.\n\nAmong the questions that can be asked:\n1. Are there any invariant subspaces of V? (an invariant subspace is one that is preserved by every linear transformation in the image of G).\n2. Can the vector space V be written as a direct sum of invariant subspaces in some nice way?\n3. Are there enough representations to distinguish all elements of the group?\n4. What happens if you look at representations in vector spaces over different base fields?\n\nIf your group is a Lie group (a differentiable manifold that is also a group), the you can look at smooth homomorphisms. It turns out the there is a vast amount of geometry that appears. This geometry is closely related to problems in particle physics.\n\nThis is just the beginning of the study of representations. There is much,much more. Yes, it is fun!
117056
String theory is a model of fundamental physics whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects (strings) rather than the zero-dimensional points (particles) that are the basis of the Standard Model of particle physics. For this reason, string theories are able to avoid problems associated with the presence of pointlike particles in a physical theory. Studies of string theories have revealed that they require not just strings but also higher-dimensional objects.
927649
since their coupling to Higgs bosons is weak
394207
Boson condensation why not Fermion condensation? \nPlank time, Plank length is there a Plank mass?
313486
your answer is in \nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang
146531
This site is constructed well and has a high level of detail (up to degree level).\n\n\nhttp://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html
823034
You can find a good summary here:\n\nhttp://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/physics/chapter12section2.rhtml
335040
It is hard to explain here. \n\nIt is a hypothetical particle predicted by standard model of particle physics. And it was originally predicted by Peter Higgs.
1125359
I think the author of the article linked to in your referenced web page (it's the link below) explains it well. One of the many  fundamental constants, the Fine Structure Constant, may have changed very slightly -- or it may not have. The data acquired so far is not conclusive, especially as decided by the scientific establishment, which generally demands pretty overwhelming proof of such a radical idea. And as the author says, confirming evidence must be obtained not merely from more iterations of the same experiment, but from totally different kinds of experiment, and he adds that precision in these other experiment types is not yet high enough to be useful as a proof.
1087038
lets see there are different theroies about the fundamental particles............but answering you qestions i will say the "strings" are the fundamental particles and we physicist now belive that all the fundamental particles which we have establish through some experiments are basically made up of these strings......a string in a perticular mode behaves as a perticular fundamental particle like protron neutron electron or quarka etc
489410
String theory is a model of fundamental physics whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects (strings) rather than the zero-dimensional points (particles) that are the basis of the Standard Model of particle physics. For this reason, string theories are able to avoid problems associated with the presence of pointlike particles in a physical theory. Studies of string theories have revealed that they require not just strings, but also higher-dimensional objects.
1065955
Yes, the W boson is very massive, and what is actually emitted in neutron decay is a virtual W boson.  In quantum mechanics, rules of conservation of energy can be violated for short periods of time.  Virtual particles are common in subatomic interactions, if you don't see the word "virtual", note that physicists will sometimes refer to them as "particles off the mass shell".\n\nVirtual particles are not just mathematical fictions.  If a virtual W boson were to interact with another particle during its short existance, it could exchange enough energy/momentum with that particle to become a real boson itself (albeit one that will still decay in a short time because of the finite lifetime of real W bosons).\n\nVirtual particles are absolutely necessary in particle physics in order to model the behaviour correctly.  Even the attraction of positively and negatively charged objects is explained by the exchange of virtual photons.
202172
It hasn't been observed, if that's what you mean by proven, but it is a widely accepted idea because the theoretical underpinnings are very solid.  I don't think anyone contests the idea much these days.  If we're lucky, when the LHC at CERN comes on line in late 2007, we may be able to make microsingularities and watch them evaporate, giving direct proof of Hawking radiation.