Has the Higgs Boson been discovered by LHC rival? Are we still here? (Update: No Higgs discovery, and we're still here)

The Large Hadron Collider isn't the only bad boy on the block looking for the so-called God particle -- technically known as the Higgs Boson. A lesser known facility, the Tevatron -- located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois -- has also been furiously searching for the particle which would help to explain the origins of mass in the universe -- and it looks like they might have found it. A rumor has been swirling about recently that the found particle is a "three-sigma," meaning that it's got a 99.7 percent statistical likelihood of being correct -- but the lab itself has yet to confirm or deny. The Tevatron, which was completed 27 years ago, is the second largest accelerator in the world (after the LHC) and it's expected to be retired once the CERN facility is fully operational.

Update: Well, that was fun for the few hours that it lasted. New Scientist has published a piece confirming that Tevatron is in fact denying the rumor, and no Higgs Boson discovery has gone down.

[cashclientel Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:32AM]

27 years hard graft beats superior technology

[Kloc Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:49AM]

@cashclientel

Higgs Boson....Check

Now where is that graviton?

[MichaelJJackson Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:50AM]

@cashclientel No it doesn't It just has been able to operate

[E71 Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:29AM]

Hi, I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite blog post.

[aarond12 Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:42AM]

Three SIGMA, not three STIGMA...

[daqman Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:52AM]

@aarond12 I liked three stigma better, more of an emotional appeal to it.

[bahgger Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:12AM]

@ engadget

It's a "three-sigma" event, as in 3 standard deviations. Not "three-stigma".

[Avaviel Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:59AM]

They denied it has been found.

Earlier, the laboratory's Twitter feed said: "Let's settle this: the rumors spread by one fame-seeking blogger are just rumors. That's it."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/large-hadron-collider/7888012/Higgs-boson-discovery-rumours-false-say-Tevatron-scientists.html

http://go.telegraph.co.uk/?id=296X467&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FFermilabToday%2Fstatus%2F18396561721

[Philip Han Posted Jul 13th 2010 1:37PM]

@cashclientel They constantly upgrade it though don't they?

[owen66 Posted Jul 13th 2010 1:58PM]

@Kloc

not to mention the graviolies

[thenutty1 Posted Jul 13th 2010 5:17PM]

@Philip Han They have updated the technology it uses over the years, but the Tevatron is smaller than the LHC in length. Length dictated how much power and how fast they can accelerate the particles. Watched a pretty good documentary on it from 2003 or around there (the mention the LHC being built).

[Stratus41298 Posted Jul 13th 2010 6:21PM]

@E71

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Karim Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:35AM]

Stargate SG-1.. :P

[Apeman96 Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:59AM]

@Karim
I am a HUGE Stargate fan, and I did not see any Stargate references in here. Please explain.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:08AM]

@Apeman96
The big ass ring looks like a star gate

[Openwave Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:13AM]

@DefPoet +1

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:21AM]

@Apeman96
That and this
http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/movie/stargate/stargate_10.jpg

[ac2913 Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:44AM]

Yes, now I need the ring and the collision in slow motion, spitting out the God particle as a live wallpaper on my nexus

Kthxbai

[jjeremycai Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:36AM]

Nice. I was there last weekend, and man is it sophisticated. The wild buffalo roaming around makes it only so much cooler.

[amoren Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:32AM]

@jjeremycai

Those were rats.

[DrTrent Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:51AM]

@jjeremycai I have a hard time believing there are wild buffalo in suburban West Chicago. I have an easier time believing they were rats mutated by a combination of the Chicago river and angry Higgs Boson particles

[kenjennings Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:53AM]

@jjeremycai
Been a while since I've been there. He buffalo are still there? Cool.

Is it just me or does the place look like a giant Atari logo?
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/images08/WilsonHall92-1168.jpg

[Lorenzo Camargo Jr Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:47AM]

@jjeremycai
I wonder what happens to all those buffalo when Fermilab shuts its doors?

[Lorenzo Camargo Jr Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:51AM]

@DrTrent
Oh and here are your rats,out to pasture. LOL

[Lorenzo Camargo Jr Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:54AM]

@Lorenzo Camargo Jr
Sorry, forgot the link. http://ed.fnal.gov/trc_new/sciencelines_online/sp_smr98/bison.html

[JonObea Posted Jul 13th 2010 10:56AM]

@Lorenzo Camargo Jr Fermi lab isn't going anywhere. The Tevetron is just shutting down. They still have 3 other accelerators and an active cancer treatment center not to mention the 20 odd programs they have going.

Also they have a remote teleconnected control room to Cern. it is actually a replica, white a wall of TV's that have a direct feed to cameras in CERN to make it look like the room is actually in CERN. Fermilab runs tests when Europe is asleep over there. I just got done interning there for 12 weeks.

[rjgeek Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:26AM]

@jjeremycai

Perhaps those were the Higgs Bison? Eh? Eh?

Eh...

[Wiggy Fuzz Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:37AM]

if the LHC didn't keep breaking down (and making me enter my fallout shelter for no reason) i reckon it would have found the higgs boson first.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:49AM]

@Wiggy Fuzz
Gotta spend the money to keep things working.
Europe tends to be cautious with money compared to the US. Here in America if you give us enough to appease us you can spend a trillion dollars making a donuts for all we care

[mahut Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:34AM]

@Wiggy Fuzz : For such a machine, breaking down is part of the plan. It has taken Tevatron years to achieve its high luminosity (determines number of events), and can currently reach 3*10^32. LHC currently has 1.5*10^30, and will probably achieve 10^32 around the end of the year.
Tevatron performance: http://www.fnal.gov/pub/now/tevlum.html
LHC live: http://op-webtools.web.cern.ch/op-webtools/vistar/vistars.php?usr=LHC1
LHC latest news: http://lhc-commissioning.web.cern.ch/lhc-commissioning/news-2010/LHC-latest-news.html

[tu madre Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:38AM]

Time to move to the mountains and start digging my bomb shelter...

[possomcrast Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:00AM]

@tu madre hhhahaaaa NOT if u do that ur retarted

[tu madre Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:05AM]

@possomcrast
I thought I laid the sarcasm on pretty thick...guess not thick enough.

[Barguast Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:16AM]

@possomcrast
I'm not sure someone with such a low sarcasm detector and poor spelling should be calling anyone a 'retart'.

[richb93 Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:38AM]

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory? I guess that explains why the GTX 4xx cards produce so much heat then ;)

[DefPoet Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:51AM]

@richb93
Throw a ati card in there and you get a blackhole

[tobsmonster2 Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:51AM]

@richb93
I thought you were onto something there but that doesn't even make sense.

[Bahumbug Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:09AM]

@richb93 Aha. What would Enrico Fermi say if he was still alive?

[dingus Posted Jul 13th 2010 11:19AM]

@Bahumbug "GET ME OUT OF THIS COFFIN!"

[nefnet13 Posted Jul 13th 2010 2:29PM]

@dingus I laughed like hell at your comment.

[Jerry Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:40AM]

Might want to correct 'three-stigma' to 'three-sigma'.

[ketel1 Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:49AM]

@Jerry

haha, I read that and thought the same thing...

shouldnt 3 sigma be closer to 93-something percent though?

[jon Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:52AM]

@ketel1

That would be two-sigma, and even that's 95%.

[encebollado Posted Jul 13th 2010 8:53AM]

Yep, you're right.

[gx1400 Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:00AM]

@ketel1
You are correct sir. 3 Sigma = 93.3%. 99.7% falls somewhere between 4 and 5 Sigma.

My company uses Six Sigma manufacturing practices.

[JorgeCardoso Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:04AM]

@gx1400
You are wrong. 3 sigma is exactly 99.7...
Just as a quick reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/68-95-99.7_rule

[TheAmazingWJV Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:05AM]

@Jerry I think there is a 99.7 percent likelihood that you are correct.

[jon Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:13AM]

@gx1400

You might want to start looking for a new job.

http://www.qualityamerica.com/knowledgecente/articles/SixSig_pg140-2.html

http://www.syque.com/improvement/Six%20Sigma.htm

Just in case the wiki didn't convince you.

[JorgeCardoso Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:23AM]

@jon
He just forgot that in the six-sigma values, there is a 0.5 sigma assumed drift, that makes 3sigma=2.5 sigma=93.3%...

People just read and "learn" anything without really understanding it.

[JorgeCardoso Posted Jul 13th 2010 9:25AM]

@JorgeCardoso Where is the edit button?? :S
I meant 1.5 sigma drift