We often talk about progress in terms of discovering new particles, and it often is.
Studying a new, very heavy particle helps us view underlying physical processes often without annoying background noise.
That makes it easy to explain the value of the discovery to the public and politicians.
In truth, particle physics has always proceeded in two ways, of which new particles is one.
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Three key findings
Particles obey a counter-intuitive but hugely successful theory calledquantum mechanics.
Measurements of such effects are very complex, however, and much harder to explain to the public.
But recent results hinting at unexplained new physics beyond the standard model are of this second key in.
Again, it may be that yet undiscovered particles are adding to its mass.
Many will look to various forms of supersymmetry.
These may involve additional Higgs bosons (associated with the field that gives fundamental particles their mass).
Only experiments will reveal the truth of the matter which is good news for experimentalists.
That said, it is no disrespect to them to note that these measurements are extremely difficult to make.
Whats more, predictions of the standard model usually require calculations where approximations have to be made.
Equally, it may be the researchers are using subtly different interpretations and so finding inconsistent results.
Comparing two experimental results requires careful checking that the same level of approximation has been used in both cases.
None of this makes the current results any less interesting or important.
