Could the Higgs boson explain the size of the Universe?

The Universe wouldn’t be the same without the Higgs boson. This legendary particle plays a role in cosmology and reveals the possible existence of another closely related particle.

The race to identify the Higgs boson is on at CERN. This Holy Grail of particle physics would help explain why the majority of elementary particles possess mass. The mysterious particle would also help us understand the evolution of the Universe from the moment of its birth, according to a group of EPFL physicists. If their theory is verified with data from the Planck satellite, it would clear up several questions about the Universe, past and future.

an inflationary phase to the Big Bang, an initial phenomenal expansion in which the Universe grew by a factor of 10^26 in a very short time

Sure, let's bring back the Higgs boson and its dilaton pal.

We don't know exactly what role they played in the early universe, but let's bring 'em back and see what it was.

We do know the laws of physics were changing rapidly during those initial moments of the Big Bang when free Higgs and dilatons were around, and that the incredible hypothesized expansion probably took place in seconds.

The Higgs and dilaton may have mediated that expansion and those changes in physical law (something back then surely did), we're not sure, but who cares? Let's bring 'em back and see if it was them. Probably wasn't, so don't worry.

If it was, and a volume about one nanometer across inside CERN's bubble chamber expands by a factor of 10²⁶ in the blink of an eye, which works out to about a light year across, just think of all the sexy shrapnel scars you'll have!

And if you don't like shrapnel scars, don't worry. The laws of physics will have changed, too, and nobody's eyeballs will work anyway, among other weird otherworldly things we can expect to "see" when a bunch of physical laws and constants shift. It'll be like going to another universe!

So nobody will be able to see your scars anyhow and all the atoms in your body will have been scattered throughout a couple of cubic light years of outer space.

Cool, I always wanted to go into outer space!

Nosiree, nobody can call me a Luddite. I don't believe CERN will create a dangerous black hole, like a lot of Luddites. I've moved beyond that.

The volume of space that gives rise to particles like this is many orders of magnitude less than nanometer scale. You won’t have to search as far as you fear for your atoms!

And, by the way, for those who really don’t know any physicists or cosmologists: Many of us are God-fearing men (and a few women) who are attempting to understand exactly how He made the universe, as opposed to having a belief that God does not exist.

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