Discovery Scenarios

The Higgs is Different

Discovery of a Higgs particle at the LHC would mark a giant step toward resolving the contradictions of Terascale physics. But a Higgs discovery would present mysteries of its own that would be even more challenging to solve than detecting the Higgs particle. For example, theory says that Higgs particles are matter particles, but in most respects the Higgs behaves more like a new force than like a particle. How can this be? In truth, the Higgs is neither matter nor force; the Higgs is just different.

Physicists suspect the existence of many Higgs-like particles: Why, after all, should the Higgs be the only one of its kind? They predict that new particles related to the Higgs play essential roles in cosmology, giving the universe the shape it has today. If many Higgs-like particles exist, they should interact with each other. Thanks to quantum theory, when a Higgs particle is produced, it contains a bit of its Higgs-like cousins. Experiments at a linear collider would zoom in on the Higgs to lay bare its innermost secrets.