Incredible in my lifetime... Higgs hails the 'proof' of his particle

When Peter Higgs first proposed that an invisible field strewn across space gave mass to the building blocks of the universe, the theory was ridiculed by some of the most respected minds of the time.

His first paper was rejected by a journal, while other scientists accused him and his colleagues of failing to grasp the basic principles of physics.

Despite the slights, Prof Higgs - at the time a 34-year-old physicist at Edinburgh University - was convinced his idea was right, although he never envisaged being able to prove it.

Yesterday (Wednesday), 48 years on, his radical concept was finally proved correct by a team of physicists at the Cern laboratory using a £6 billion piece of equipment designed to uncover the secrets of the universe.

Announcing the latest results from the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, scientists confirmed they had discovered a new particle bearing the hallmarks of a Higgs Boson.

The Higgs Boson helps to explain how fundamental particles gain their mass; a property which allows them to bind together and form stars and planets rather than whizzing around the universe at the speed of light.

Prof Higgs, 83, who travelled to Switzerland to witness the announcement, was visibly moved as the presentation was rounded off to tumultuous applause from the excited audience, some of whom had waited overnight to secure their seats. He said: "I am astounded at the amazing speed with which these results have emerged. They are a testament to the expertise of the researchers and the elaborate technologies in place. I never expected this to happen in my lifetime and shall be asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge."

Prof Higgs has repeatedly resisted requests for interviews and comments, insisting that the limelight should be taken by the scientists who have proved that his theory is correct.

He has long been uncomfortable even having his name attached to the particle, which is seen as the missing cornerstone of the Standard Model of physics.

The son of a BBC sound engineer from Newcastle, he was raised in Bristol and excelled at Cotham Grammar School.

During a school assembly he saw the name of a former pupil, the great quantum physicist P.A.M. Dirac, on an honours board and decided to read about his work. Quickly hooked, he read everything he could find on the subject.

He went on to King's College, London, where he graduated with a first-class honours in 1950. He was denied a lectureship at the university, however, so became a researcher at Edinburgh University.

His "eureka" moment reportedly came in a flash of inspiration during a walking trip to the Cairngorms. When one of his initial papers was rejected, he insisted the journal had not understood him.

Upon publication in 1964, he and his colleagues were ridiculed as young pretenders and urged to abandon their research or risk "professional suicide".

Prof Gerry Guralnik, a US researcher who published a paper on the subject with colleagues within months of Higgs, recalled a galling encounter with Werner Heisenberg, the German physicist who gave his name to the famous "uncertainty principle" of quantum mechanics. He said: "A lot of famous people told us that we were wrong. Heisenberg told me I did not understand the rules of physics, which is pretty scary if you are 26 and are worried about getting a job."

Yesterday, the scientific community was united in its praise for Prof Higgs, with some calling for him to be given a knighthood. Prof Stephen Hawking said Prof Higgs deserved a Nobel Prize for his work, but admitted the discovery of the new particle had come at a cost. He said: "I had a bet with Gordon Kane of Michigan University that the Higgs particle wouldn't be found. It seems I have just lost $100."