An aerial view of CERN. Image credit: Maximilien Brice (CERN).

What it means if CERN discovers a new particle

There’s been a small but significant excess observed, and a new particle is one possible explanation. What will it mean?

“I’m a fan of supersymmetry, largely because it seems to be the only route by which gravity can be brought into the scheme. It’s probably not even enough, but it’s a way forward to get gravity involved. If you have supersymmetry, then there are more of these particles. That would be my favourite outcome.” -Peter Higgs

In the 1960s and 1970s, the finishing theoretical touches were being put on the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. Inside the world of the atom were subatomic, fundamental particles, including electrons, two types of quarks and the gluons. In addition, over time, a whole slew of other particles were discovered:

• a total of six types of quarks and their corresponding antiparticles (antiquarks), each coming in three colors (or anticolors),
• three charged leptons and three neutral, low-mass neutrinos, each with their own antiparticles,
• and the bosons: the photon (for the electromagnetic force), the eight gluons (for the strong nuclear force), the W+, W- and the Z (for the weak force), plus the Higgs boson.