Peter Higgs uses groundbreaking theoretical work to help explain how the universe has mass (File)
British physicist Peter Higgs has died at the age of 94, the University of Edinburgh announced on Tuesday. His theory of the mass-conferring particle, the so-called Higgs boson, won him the Nobel Prize in Physics.
“He died peacefully at his home on Monday 8 April following a short illness,” the Scottish university, where he was a professor for nearly 50 years, said in a statement.
It called him “a great teacher and mentor who inspired generations of young scientists.”
“His family asks that the media and public respect their privacy at this time,” the university added.
Higgs used groundbreaking theoretical work to help explain how the universe has mass, solving one of the biggest puzzles in physics and earning him a joint textbook award with Albert Einstein and Max Planck status.
His 1964 theory of the mass-conferring particle (later known as the Higgs boson or “God particle”) won him and Belgian physicist François Englert the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics prize.
Nearly half a century later, experiments at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Large Hadron Collider finally confirmed this theory the previous year.
Peter Mathieson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “Peter Higgs was an outstanding individual, a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination enriched our understanding of the world around us .”
“His groundbreaking work inspired thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more generations to come.”
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