Nobel laureate who proposed the Higgs boson dies at 94

Peter Higgs disliked fame, complaining he would be beset by people seeking selfies and that if he went to the school of physics at Edinburgh.

Peter Higgs stands in front of a photograph of the Large Hadron Collider at the Science Museum in London. Picture: Getty Images

Peter Higgs, the Nobel prize-­winning physicist whose theories helped to explain the nature of mass, has died at his home at 94.

Sixty years after the University of Edinburgh scientist proposed the existence of a field that gives other particles mass, 12 years after the particle bearing his name was discovered at the European particle accelerator at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and 11 years after he purposely headed out for a walk and lunch so as to be uncontactable on the day of the Nobel prize announcement, Professor Higgs died peacefully at home, colleagues said.

Peter Mathieson, the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said his death followed a short illness.

“Peter Higgs was a remarkable individual – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge of the world that surrounds us,” Sir Peter said.

“His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come.”

The confirmation of the existence of the Higgs boson in 2012 provided proof of the Higgs field, which gives other particles mass. This helped complete a system for understanding the subatomic world known as the Standard Model.

The particle had been posited at the same time by other scientists, but it was Professor Higgs’s name that had been irrevocably attached to it, despite his efforts to share the credit.

Professor Higgs disliked the fame that resulted, which only grew with its eventual discovery in experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. He complained that he would be beset by people seeking selfies and that if he went to the school of physics at Edinburgh, “a horde of students ... will descend on me bearing smartphones”.

The day of the 2013 Nobel prize, which most assumed would be awarded for the discovery of the Higgs boson, Professor Higgs headed to Leith for lunch - purposely leaving the Swedish committee unable to reach him.

Brian Cox, a particle physicist and TV presenter from the University of Manchester, paid tribute to Professor Higgs on Tuesday. “Beyond being a famous physicist – I think to his embarrassment at times – he was always charming and modest,” Professor Cox said, adding that thanks to the particle, he had gained a form of immortality.

“His name will be remembered as long as we do physics.”

Born in 1929 in Newcastle, Professor Higgs graduated in 1950 with first class honours in physics from King’s College London.

By 1954 he had been awarded a masters degree and a PhD, and soon opened his links with the University of Edinburgh by becoming a senior research fellow. After decades of research there and elsewhere, he would in 1996 become professor emeritus at the university. Britain made him a companion of honour in the 2013 new year honours list, handed out for service of conspicuous national importance.

THE TIMES