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The world of modern physics is filled with various terms that sound mysterious. Some of them even use quite provocative names, such as “God Particle” and “Devil Particle”. For some people, the term sounds like something related to religion or mythology. In fact, both are popular terms in the world of science that are used to describe very real physical phenomena.
The God Particle refers to the Higgs boson, an elementary particle that is an important part of human understanding of the origin of mass. Meanwhile, Devil Particles is a popular nickname for phenomena or particles related to the process of annihilation of matter and antimatter, namely the annihilation process which produces enormous energy.
So, what exactly are these two particles? Why is one considered “building” and the other “destroying”? And what’s more interesting, do they have anything to do with everyday life?
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What is the God Particle?
The Higgs boson or Higgs boson is a particle whose existence was predicted in 1964 by several physicists, one of whom was Peter Higgs.
This particle is proof of the existence of the Higgs field (Higgs field), which is an energy field that is believed to fill the entire universe.
According to modern physics theory, elementary particles such as electrons and quarks gain their mass by interacting with the Higgs field. The stronger the interaction of a particle with the Higgs field, the greater its mass.
As a simple illustration, imagine someone walking in a swimming pool. The water in the pool provides resistance to the person’s movement. In this analogy:
Pool water = Higgs field
People walking = elementary particles
Perceived resistance = mass
Particles that are “harder to move” in the Higgs field will appear to have greater mass.
Without the existence of the Higgs field, most particles would have no mass.
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Why is it called the God Particle?
Term God Particleor God Particle is not actually a scientific term.
This name was popularized by the Nobel laureate physicist, Leon Lederman, through his book entitled The God Particle. According to Lederman, this name was used because the Higgs boson is very important for understanding how the universe formed.
Without the Higgs mechanism, there would be no atoms, no stars, no planets, and no humans. In other words, the universe as we know it today will likely never exist.
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Discovery of the Higgs Boson
After being predicted for almost 50 years, the Higgs boson was finally discovered in 2012 by scientists at European Organization for Nuclear Research. This discovery was made using a machine Large Hadron Collider. This giant machine has a circumference of about 27 kilometers and is used to collide protons with very high energy. From this collision, scientists discovered traces of new particles that matched the predictions of the Higgs boson.
This discovery became one of the greatest achievements in modern physics and led to Peter Higgs winning the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.
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What Does This Have to Do With Everyday Life?
Some may ask, if the Higgs boson is so important, why have we never seen it?
The answer is simple. The Higgs boson is very unstable and can only exist for a very short time at extreme energy conditions.
However, the impact of the Higgs field is around us all the time.
For example:
1. The Human Body Has Weight
The human body is composed of atoms. Atoms consist of particles that gain mass through interactions with the Higgs field.
Without this mechanism, the human body would have no weight.
2. Planets and Stars Can Form
Gravitational force can only act on objects that have mass. If particles had no mass, then planets and stars would never form.
3. We Can Stand on the Surface of the Earth
The presence of human body weight allows the Earth to have enough gravity to hold everything on its surface.
Thus, even though the Higgs boson rarely appears, its influence actually determines the existence of all objects in the universe.
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So, what are devil particles?
The term “Devil Particle” is not as popular as the God Particle and is not an official name in physics. The term is often used popularly to describe particles or processes that destroy matter, especially through the process of annihilation
In physics, every particle has a partner called an antiparticle. For example, electrons have partners called positrons and protons have antiprotons. When particles and antiparticles meet, they annihilate each other and turn into energy in the form of gamma rays.
This process is considered “destructive”, giving rise to the popular term Devil Particles.
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Why can matter be destroyed?
This phenomenon is explained by Albert Einstein’s famous equation. The equation is E = mc^2. This equation shows that mass can be converted into energy.
In the annihilation process, almost all of the particle mass is converted into energy.
Because the speed of light is so great, even a small amount of mass can produce tremendous energy.
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Examples of the Devil Particle Phenomenon in Nature
Even though it sounds scary, the process of annihilation of matter and antimatter actually occurs naturally.
1. Cosmic Rays
High-energy particles from outer space can produce positrons. When a positron meets an electron, annihilation occurs and produces gamma rays.
2. The Environment Around Black Holes
Around black holes, the processes of formation and annihilation of particles are very intense.
3. Certain Radioactive Decays
Some radioactive elements produce positrons which then undergo annihilation with surrounding electrons.
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Application of Devil Particles in Daily Life
Even though it sounds like something dangerous, the concept of annihilation actually provides great benefits.
1. PET Scan Technology
Positron Emission Tomographyor PET Scan is one of the modern medical technologies. In this tool, radioactive substances produce positrons. When positrons meet electrons in the body, annihilation occurs and produces gamma rays.
These rays are detected by a computer to produce images of body organs.
PET Scans are very helpful in diagnosing cancer, brain disorders and heart disease. In other words, principles that seem “destructive” are actually used to save human lives.
2. Future Energy Research
Because annihilation produces enormous amounts of energy, scientists are interested in studying it as a possible future energy source.
However, the technology to produce and store antimatter is still very expensive and complicated.
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Are the Two Conflicting?
No. In physics, there is no concept of good and evil like in religious teachings. The terms “God” and “Devil” are just popular names used to make people more interested in studying science.
The universe requires simultaneous processes of formation and destruction. Stars are born, then die. Atoms form, then decay. Particles appear and disappear. This entire process is part of natural law.
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CLOSURE
The Higgs boson shows that something invisible can determine the existence of all matter in the universe. Without the Higgs field, we would probably have no mass and the universe would not have the shape it does now.
On the other hand, the annihilation process of matter and antimatter shows that annihilation is not always a bad thing. This phenomenon is actually used in the medical field and opens up the possibility of future energy technology.
By studying the God Particle and the Devil Particle, we can understand that the universe works through a balance between the processes of formation and annihilation. What seems mysterious turns out to have a big role in everyday life, even determining human existence itself.
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SOURCE
ATLAS Collaboration. (2012). Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Physics Letters B, 716(1)1–29.
CMS Collaboration. (2012). Observation of a new boson at a mass of 125 GeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Physics Letters B, 716(1)30–61.
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). (n.d.). The Higgs boson. https://home.cern/science/physics/higgs-boson
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). (n.d.). Antimatter. https://home.cern/science/physics/antimatter
Lederman, LM, & Teresi, D. (1993). The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Positron emission tomography scan. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/…omography-scan
Nave, C. R. (n.d.). Matter-antimatter annihilation. HyperPhysics, Georgia State University. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu
Peter Higgs. (1964). Broken symmetries and the masses of gauge bosons. Physical Review Letters, 13(16)508–509.
