The Higgs Symposium

Peter Higgs, Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics
Peter Higgs, Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics

The Higgs Symposium brought together 128 physicists from around the world to hear a series of talks given by a distinguished list of speakers including two recipients of the Milner prize, Nima Arkani-Hamed and Joe Incandela, and a Fields medallist, Sir Michael Atiyah.

The varied topics of the talks underlined the impact of Peter Higgs' work, with leaders in the field describing the developments which are currently pushing the boundaries of our theoretical understanding of particle physics. Other highlights included updates on the current Higgs Boson searches by the CMS and ATLAS experiments, applications in condensed matter and a fascinating historical account by Chris Llewellyn Smith, former Director General of CERN, of the journey from Peter Higgs' original paper to the construction of the LHC. 

The Symposium closed with a panel discussion of what the future may hold for particle physics, and the many PhD students who attended were particularly encouraged to take part.

Unfortunately, Peter Higgs was unable to give his scheduled talk on the final day due to ill health.  However, he attended and participated in an earlier session.

"We were very fortunate that some of the most distinguished physicists in the world were able to come to Edinburgh to discuss fundamental questions at such a decisive moment in the history of physics." Richard Ball, Higgs Centre Director

The symposium was organised by the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics and incorporated the Centre's launch eve​nt. It took place in Edinburgh from 9-11 Janury 2013.