Nobel celebrations for Peter Higgs

A Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Peter Higgs, Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ award to Professor Higgs recognises his outstanding contribution to the theoretical work that led to the prediction of the Higgs boson particle.

The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Professor Higgs and Professor Francois Englert.

I am overwhelmed to receive this award and thank the Royal Swedish Academy. I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle and to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their support. I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research.

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Professor Higgs gave his reaction to the award at a press conference held at the University's historic Old College on 11 October.

Landmark discovery

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) recently confirmed the existence of the particle, which was first postulated by Professor Higgs in 1964 when he was a young lecturer at Edinburgh.

The Higgs boson enables other fundamental particles to acquire their mass. Its discovery represents a major step in our understanding of the physical universe.

We are delighted at the news of this Nobel Prize award and congratulate Professor Peter Higgs on his achievement. The discovery of the Higgs particle will underpin the next generation of physics research, and this accolade is worthy recognition of its significance. Professor Higgs’ work will continue to inspire scientists at Edinburgh and beyond.

Peter Higgs photograph © Peter Tuffy, The Unversity of Edinburgh.