THE HIGGS HANGOVER: A SOBER LOOK AT THE WILD FRONTIER OF PARTICLE PHYSICS

On July 4, 2012, the champagne flowed. The elusive Higgs boson—the fundamental particle that gives mass to all other particles—had been found. After generations of work, the last puzzle piece was in place and the Standard Model of particle physics was complete. But then… the morning hangover. Particle physicists woke up to ask: What next? What is the road map that will guide physicists to the next triumphs, from identifying dark matter to quantizing gravity, and perhaps providing insight into the deepest question of all—why is there something rather than nothing? What theories will light the way? What machines will we need to build (yet more powerful colliders?) to tether progress to reality? Join a renowned group of physicists to explore how we leapfrog forward from success.