British Nobel Prize winner for physics Peter Higgs has died, the 94-year-old died at his home on Monday, Scotland’s University of Edinburgh announced on Tuesday. The scientist spent most of his career at the university. The Englishman became world famous with his theory of the mass of elementary particles.
The discovery of the Higgs boson – also known as the ‘God particle’ – at the Cern research center in Switzerland catapulted the theorist into the physics hall of fame. Together with the Belgian François Englert, Higgs received the Nobel Prize in 2013 for the prediction of the mass particle.
“Gifted scientist”
“Peter Higgs was a remarkable human being – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination enriched our knowledge of the world around us,” said University of Edinburgh Vice-Chancellor Peter Mathieson. “His groundbreaking work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will inspire generations to come.”
Shy publicity
Although the two theoretical physicists came up with the mass theory around the same time in the mid-1960s, Higgs prevailed as the namesake, not Englert – which was rather unpleasant for the publicity-shy and modest physicist. He believed he was getting more fame than he deserved. The development of the thesis and the discovery of the particles was a group effort.
“I didn’t think this would happen in my lifetime,” Higgs told New Scientist, trying to confirm his theory. But the situation changed when the large particle accelerators were built. The atheist rejected the name ‘God particle’ because of his discovery.
Higgs was born on May 29, 1929 in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, the son of a sound engineer. As a child he suffered from asthma and was initially taught by his mother. In addition to his academic career, he was also politically active.
Until his death, the scientist was very popular among colleagues and the media. Over time, Higgs gave fewer and fewer interviews, preferring to concentrate on music, films and books and especially on his family, as a spokeswoman for the University of Edinburgh once said.
Source: Krone
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