Ten years ago, on 04 July 2012, scientists at CERN announced that, after more than 40 years of searching, they had succeeded in discovering the Higgs particle, which until then had only been predicted theoretically. To mark the 10th anniversary of this important discovery, the Chair of Experimental Hadron Physics at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy is offering two events for interested amateur researchers on 04 July 2022.
Even if there is an acute risk of confusion: the "Higgs" we are talking about has nothing to do with a hiccup. The Higgs is a particle and its discovery a crucial confirmation of a theory that explains how the smallest particles in our universe acquire their mass. It therefore plays a central role in the Standard Model of particle physics, the most successful theory to date for describing our universe.
What exactly the Higgs is, how it was found and what else particle physicists do - the Chair of Experimental Hadron Physics at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy invites young people from the 8th grade and interested adults to get to the bottom of these questions on 4 July 2022.
The events
Particle Physics Masterclass
In the particle physics master class, all those interested are invited to become a data analyst themselves. After a theoretical introduction, we will look at the data from the Atlas experiment and search for the Higgs particle.
When?
04.07.2022, 09.00 - 16.00 hrs
Where.
Campus of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Building IC Level 03, Room 448/410 (IC 03-448/410)
Participants
Up to 20 interested participants, from grade 8 upwards
If you are interested, please send your participation request to with "Masterclass" as the subject. Please indicate how many people you would like to register for the event.
Cloud chamber workshop
How can particles be detected? In the cloud chamber workshop, those interested learn about the basic principles of particle detectors by building a cloud chamber. Participants then get the opportunity to observe particles themselves that reach us from space.
When?
04.07.2022, 17.00 - 19.00 hrs
Where.
Campus of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Building IC Level 03, Room 448/410 (IC 03-448/410)
Participants
Up to 20 interested participants, from grade 8 upwards
If possible bring along
Bright torch or mobile phone with torch
If you are interested, please send your participation request to with "Nebelkammer" as the subject. Please indicate how many people you would like to register for the event.
Information on how to get there and a campus map of the Ruhr-Universität are linked here .
If you have any questions about the events, please also contact us via .
We look forward to seeing you!