Higgs is important because it helps to give many other particles mass. The Higgs Boson particle is a linchpin of the standard model, because it indicates the existence of the higgs field, an invisible, ubiquitous energy field present everywhere in the universe that helps fundamental particle acquire their mass. Higgs Boson discovery was a really rare occurence --> Needle In the Hay Stack. Larger more powerful particle accelerators. --- Large scale particle accelerator's usefulness is being questioned by scientists. More than 30k particle accelerators around the world. Most famous one is the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Tunnel near Geneva, shaped like a race track, near Geneva. 100 m underground. A cylinder 17 miles in circumference. What happens inside is the good stuff, the recreation of the moments just after the big bang. The process that found the higgs boson starts with a beam of subatomic particles usually protons that belong to a group of particles called hadrons. Sometimes the LHC collides ions. Particles go through smaller machines before they go through the LHC, accelerating the beams with a certain energy before directing them into the next machine. Focus beam to the size of human air, 50 microns. Collisions take place inside the center of these detectors that track particles and capture every aspect.. measuring energy.. Most collisions are uninteresting.. billions have to occur to find some interesting ones. LHC has been shut down for the past 3 years, undergoing upgrades are improving injector tech spitting out the protons and ions, that will result in more intense, tighter bunches. This increase the no. of particles that can be collided and ups the chances of discovering new particles. Higher collision rates: More like to spot something interesting. LHC / Particle Accelerator Tech added to our scientific understanding of the quantum world. The technologies developed to enhance the machines, also help us to make other advances: Electron Beam Irradiation Technology. some of which have orignated from Accelerators.. Used to preserve and decontaminate food, killing micro-organisms that can make people sick is useful for computing, robotics, semi-conductor manufacturing and Particle beams can penetrate human tissue to treat cancer Proton therapy: Proton for Tumor Treatment. Beams to deliver high energy electrons in micro-seconds over minutes to treat people with tradition radiation. Minimising healthy tissue impact from radiation. Swiss hospital --> Flash Therapy