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World-class physicists celebrate breakthrough: discover the Higgs boson and new particles!
The University of Bonn is a leader in physics research at CERN, awarded the Breakthrough Prize 2023 for important contributions.
World-class physicists celebrate breakthrough: discover the Higgs boson and new particles!
On April 11, 2025, the ATLAS collaboration was awarded the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Physics 2023, which represents global recognition for groundbreaking achievements in physics. Loud uni-bonn.de This award honors all members of the international experiments ATLAS, ALICE, CMS and LHCb at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva. Over 10,000 physicists, including students, doctoral candidates and professors, have participated in these outstanding research projects that focus on the Standard Model of elementary particle physics.
The notable successes of the ATLAS collaboration include the precise measurement of the properties of the Higgs particle and the measurement of rare particle reactions. Furthermore, the study of exotic states of matter from the early days of the universe makes a significant contribution to physics. Particularly noteworthy is the discovery of over 72 new hadrons, more than a third of which have previously unknown structures. Measuring subtle differences between matter and antimatter is also a central element of this research.
Leading role of the University of Bonn
The University of Bonn plays a leading role in the ATLAS, ALICE and LHCb experiments. Key figures such as professors Florian Bernlochner, Klaus Desch and Ingrid-Maria Gregor are significantly involved. At the ALICE experiment, Professor Bernhard Ketzer is investigating the formation of exotic particles, while Professor Sebastian Neubert and his team are working on new hadrons and their precision measurements at the LHCb experiment. This shows how the Bonn LHC team contributes to research in North Rhine-Westphalia through innovative projects, including the Cluster of Excellence “Color meets Flavor”.
The $3 million prize money will be used to support doctoral students and young scientists during research stays at CERN. This funding approach underlines the long-term perspective of basic research in particle physics and its relevance for future science.
The Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) has been a founding member of the ATLAS collaboration since 1992. Loud mpp.mpg.de The institute made a decisive contribution to the planning and operation of the detector and had a decisive influence on the data analysis. The MPP researchers not only examined the Higgs boson in a formative phase of experimental physics, but also precisely determined the mass of the Higgs boson.
The look into the future
At CERN, physicists are waiting for the LHC particle accelerator to be put back into operation after a three-year maintenance period. Planned collisions are scheduled for July 5, and scientists hope the new test track at the LHC will provide important new insights. The detection of the Higgs boson in 2012 is considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of particle physics, but the study of its properties and interactions remains a central topic.
Basic research in particle physics remains essential, even if immediately visible applications in other areas such as medicine or digital technology are often missing. Loud forschung-und-lehre.de the community takes seriously the challenges and also concerns that the search for new discoveries could stagnate. Nevertheless, there is still hope that future experiments will lead to groundbreaking results.