The Legacy of François Englert and the Discovery of the Higgs Boson

On July 4, 2012, a significant event took place at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Scientists gathered in a large hall to hear about the results of crucial experiments aimed at detecting the Higgs boson, a particle of immense importance in physics. Often referred to as the ‘God particle,’ the discovery of this particle would confirm the existence of a field responsible for imparting mass to other particles, including electrons and quarks.

During the announcement, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, the director general of CERN at the time, stated, “I think we have it,” prompting thunderous applause from the audience. Among those present was Peter Higgs, the English scientist after whom the particle is named. Sitting beside him was François Englert, a Belgian physicist who, along with Higgs, was instrumental in developing the theory of the Higgs field.

This theory became a crucial part of the Standard Model of particle physics formulated in the 1970s. The model is one of science’s greatest achievements, categorizing all known fundamental particles and forces. In 2013, Higgs and Englert received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their “theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of the mass of subatomic particles.”

François Englert passed away on Thursday at the age of 93 in Uccle, Belgium, a suburb of Brussels. CERN announced his death on its website, honoring his contributions to the field of physics.

Dr. Englert’s journey into groundbreaking physics theory began in the late 1950s at Cornell University. Working as a research associate for Robert Brout, a theoretical physicist, Englert became fascinated by the work of Yoichiro Nambu, a Japanese American physicist. Nambu had addressed a challenge plaguing physicists related to the breaking of symmetry in subatomic reactions.