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Scientists find the �God particle�

By The Assam Tribune

GENEVA, July 4 � The five-decade-long hunt for the elusive Higgs boson or the �God particle� has reached a milestone, with scientists at the CERN claiming today that they have discovered a new subatomic particle that looks like the one believed to be crucial for formation of the universe, reports PTI.

Joe Incandela, leader of one of the two independent teams at the world�s biggest atom smasher, told a packed audience of scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) that the data has reached the level of certainty needed for a discovery.

But he has not yet confirmed that the new particle is indeed the tiny and elusive Higgs boson, which is believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape.

Meanwhile, the second team of physicists also claimed they have observed a new particle, probably the elusive Higgs boson.

The announcements were made to huge applause by scientists including Peter Higgs who first suggested the existence of the particle in 1964.

In a statement, CERN said the particle they found at LHC is �consistent with (the) long-sought Higgs boson,� but more data was needed to identify the find.

�We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature,� said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.

Higgs boson is believed to exist in an invisible field created by the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago. When some particles encounter the Higgs, they slow down and acquire mass, according to theory. Others, such as particles of light, encounter no obstacle.

Indian connection: The disovery of a new sub- atomic particle that is crucial to understanding how the universe is built announced in Geneva today has an intrinsic Indian connection.

A large number of Indian scientists, representing the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics(SINP), Kolkata, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Harishchandra Research Institute, Allahabad and Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, were involved in the world�s most ambitious experiment over the years.

The long-sought particle, known as Higgs boson, is also partly named after an Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose, who worked with Albert Einstein in the 1920s and made discoveries that led to the most coveted prize in particle physics.

Stating that it was a historical moment in physics and SINP took pride in being a part of the history, the Institute director Milan Sanyal said �It will require more data and intense scrutiny to establish these findings beyond any doubt.

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