A Great Triumph in 21st Century Particle Physics: the Discovery of a New Particle & the Aftermath

Abstract

This is a Special Issue of Prespacetime Journal celebrating the discovery of Higgs Boson (or Higgs-like particle). Congratulations to CERN, Fermilab, people at LHC, people at Tevatron and all the theoretical and experimental physicists who made this discovery possible over the last 50 years!  In the meantime, let us all be cautious and open-minded about the new discovery since there are still unsettling issues. After introductions of Higgs discovery related articles in this issue, we shall focus our attentions on some of the phobic, allergic or even hostile but important issues related to the new discovery. The topics covered includes: Antidote to 20th Century phobia; “higgson” as the name of the new particle; quantum gravity & table top experiments; higgson as the shadow of a fundamental entity; and the 2012 phenomena & and Dawn of a Brave New World. This Editorial ends with a “mathematical” poem entitled “The Real ‘God Particle’ Please Stand Up.”