Understand one of the most exciting scientific discoveries of our time with this fascinating short course that explains the science behind the hunt for the Higgs boson.
The Higgs Boson and Beyond
Join the hunt for a mysterious particle (first name: Higgs, last name: boson) that could explain, once and for all, the nature of our universe.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
michaelk from
Best quantum mechanics course ever
I watched multiple courses on quantum mechanics before, but after watching this course I can finally assemble in my mind a picture that makes sense.
Date published: 2024-10-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Dr Mal from
First Rate Account of The Higgs
Outstanding course. I highly recommend.
Prof Carroll at his best, and his best is very Good.
Date published: 2023-10-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JohnWatchung from
Very thorough explanation
Not only did I learn a lot, but the presenter had a great way to explain a heavy subject
Date published: 2023-05-03
Rated 4 out of
5
by
JPM54 from
Interesting but too much detail
Dr Carroll is one of my favorite speakers; he is an excellent communicator. I thought that this course was aimed at laypeople with an interest on why the Higgs Bosom discovery was so important. But I was wrong. The course goes into too much detail for ordinary people to be interested, let alone understand it. I now think that the course's target may have been perhaps funding agencies to which the course justifies the expense of building the LHC. It may be that undergraduate Physics majors may be another target population. In any case, I found some of the lectures to be informative and interesting so I don't regret having spent the time to take the course. I do recommend the course if you are a Physics major.
Date published: 2023-02-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bob27302 from
The Higgs Boson
Excellent. Content, presentation and visual effects are very well done.
Date published: 2022-11-18
Rated 2 out of
5
by
sagreenwood from
very confusing lectures
The crutch of the matter is "if there is not such thing as a particle only a field then why when you observe a field you see a particle?" This critical thing was never explained. I think that the lecturer probably is knowledgeable in his field but like many academics he is incapable of imparting his knowledge to students in a logical and precise way
Date published: 2022-09-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Dug40 from
Good Title
Enjoyed this course very much. Excellent lecturer. I followed him as he talked. I learned much.
Date published: 2022-09-16
Rated 4 out of
5
by
LJR69 from
Clarity, with a chance of meatballs
I was rocking this course right up to the chapter on Symmetry, which then caused my brain to turn to mush and leave me rocking slowly in a corner with a crash helmet on. Gonna try that chapter again.
All in all, though, this is a great course!
Date published: 2022-09-13
Overview
About
Sean Carroll is the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and both a member of the Fractal Faculty and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He received his PhD in Astrophysics from Harvard University. He is the author of several books, including Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime, and the host of the weekly Mindscape podcast. He has been awarded prizes and fellowships by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others.
Trailer
01: The Importance of the Higgs Boson
Why was the discovery of the Higgs boson such a big deal? That's the key question that Professor Carroll tackles in his illuminating introduction. Take a fascinating dive into the world of modern particle physics and see how the Higgs is the missing piece of a scientific puzzle that helps us understand the "rules" for the universe.
33 min
02: Quantum Field Theory
Toss out the textbook image of electrons circling an atom's nucleus. This lecture explores the big twist of quantum field theory: The world isn't really made of particles. They're fascinating and necessary figments of quantum mechanics created by observing the fields that fill every inch of the universe, and grasping that eye-opening concept is essential to understanding the Higgs.
32 min
03: Atoms to Particles
Now that you know what particles really are, it's time to walk through the "particle zoo" and explore the roles of photons, gluons, and quarks. Along the way, Professor Carroll looks back on the development of the Standard Model and how our changing understanding of the weak nuclear field suggested the existence of the Higgs years before we found it.
31 min
04: The Power of Symmetry
Symmetries don't only apply to geometrical objects. They apply to the laws of physics themselves. In this lecture, you may feel your mind twist in asymmetrical ways as you explore how symmetry governs the known forces of nature and how it helped form a wild theory that an as-yet-undiscovered particle-the Higgs-must exist.
31 min
05: The Higgs Field
With the basics of particle physics covered, Professor Carroll walks us through the decades-long hunt for the Higgs. You'll meet the many brilliant minds-Anderson, Englert, and Higgs among them-who determinedly set out to solve the mystery of the weak nuclear field. You'll also discover why Angelina Jolie is like a top quark.
33 min
06: Mass and Energy
In this lecture, "classical" physics, as explained by Newtonian and Einsteinian mechanics, provides insight into what makes the Higgs so special. Uncover the key to the Higgs's uniqueness in the particle zoo-that even at its minimum energy state (its "resting" state), the Higgs field has a large, constant value.
31 min
07: Colliding Particles
Once physicists established the need for the Higgs boson to exist, how did they set out to locate it? It was just a matter of bringing the particles and fields together under the right conditions. You'll see how physicists use Feynman diagrams to keep track of how virtual particles carry the various forces between quarks and leptons.
31 min
08: Particle Accelerators and Detectors
Want to build your own particle accelerator? You'll need a lot of money, a lot of room, and the information that Professor Carroll shares in this lecture. You'll learn that particle accelerators aren't simply "atom smashers." They bring into existence new particles that weren't there before.
32 min
09: The Large Hadron Collider
If blacksmithing were like particle physics, the Large Hadron Collider would be the anvil. Seventeen miles around and representing the unprecedented cooperation of scientists worldwide over the course of years, the LHC is a remarkable achievement. Explore its construction, capabilities, and amazing promise for the future of physics.
32 min
10: Capturing the Higgs Boson
Looking for a needle in a haystack? Try looking for a never-before-seen particle in the largest machine ever built. With the LHC complete, the search for the Higgs began in earnest, and particle physics combined with probability to find the missing piece in the Standard Model puzzle. Professor Carroll describes both the exciting hunt and the key players in the amazing discovery.
31 min
11: Beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics
Now that the Higgs boson has been found, everything is answered, right? Not quite. Professor Carroll says the properties of the Higgs suggest that something else is at work out there. Moreover, the Higgs boson can be a stepping-stone to our exploration of dark matter, extra dimensions, the asymmetry of matter and antimatter, and a Grand Unified Theory of particle physics.
32 min
12: Frontiers-Higgs in Space
The Standard Model explains the forces and molecules that comprise us and everything with which we interact. But even with the Higgs, we can't explain the stuff that makes up 95% of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. In his conclusion, Professor Carroll shines a light on dark matter, its relationship with the Higgs, and the wonderful mysteries still ahead.
34 min
