NOTICE FROM THE FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The following SCP legacy file was taken from the period during which it was not well understood. See the end of the file for a link to the current iteration.

— Maria Jones, Director, RAISA

Item #: SCP-1964

Object Class: Euclid Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1964's nature provides no feasible methods of containment: Foundation personnel assigned to 'containment' are to suppress any theories that its nature may be anomalous outside of those proposed by Foundation researchers.

Public knowledge of SCP-1964's existence is wide-reaching and therefore impossible to suppress. Selected affiliate physicists and Foundation researchers are to continue any ongoing research on SCP-1964 until an understanding of the phenomenon is reached.

Research pertaining to SCP-1964 is to be closely monitored by the Foundation in case of any potential breakthrough. Foundation researchers assigned to SCP-1964 are not to engage in traditional scientific research, but are instead to devise procedures that attempt to identify potential anomalous properties. Research on SCP-1964 is based in Site-11.

Description: SCP-1964 is the phenomenon of 'mass' in quantum physics.

Given that gauge bosons are required to have unbroken gauge symmetry, this phenomenon runs counter to our understanding of physics: it fundamentally breaks gauge symmetry and no mechanism has as of yet been discovered which allows this.1 The mass exhibited by such particles as the W and Z bosons has gone unexplained by scientists: the best current theories return nonsensical infinite results when mass is given to these particles.

An unknown mechanism, designated SCP-1964-A, prevents such predictions from coming to fruition. Current theories as to its nature include:

A reality warping agent manipulating events

A massless mediating particle

Intervention by SCP-███

If the mechanism preventing these worrying predictions from occurring is to fail, a ZK-Class Reality Failure Event is likely to occur. At this time, the Foundation has no method to contain the phenomenon.

Addendum 1964-A

Proposal to upgrade SCP-1964 from Euclid to Keter given its worrying implications on the universe as we know it.

- Senior Researcher Williams

Approved.

Due to the potentially destructive nature of SCP-1964, research into its inner workings is now a high priority.

- O5-██

TEST LOG-1964-01:

SCP-1964 Testing

These tests are being overseen by Senior Researcher Williams on March 1957.

Testing Procedure:

Various SCPs are to be asked if they posses any knowledge pertaining to SCP-1964-A. The designated questions include:

Do you posses any information about SCP-1964-A?

Can you shed light on its inner workings?

Is it SCP-███, or another reality warping anomaly?

Based on your knowledge of our operation, is the Foundation close to gaining an understanding of this phenomenon?

Results:

The questioned SCPs provided nearly no relevant information or acted evasively. Results are overall inconclusive.

Observations:

SCPs tested who were known to be knowledgeable about/posses reality warping abilities were quick to dismiss this proposition. Given this and the scope of SCP-1964-A's effects, it is likely reasonable to assume that SCP-1964-A is not the result of a reality warping agent.

SCPs who provided any response to the final question typically replied something to the effect of "I have my doubts as to if the Foundation will ever figure it out." This suggests our currents methods are irreparably flawed. Further testing will continue following approval to experiment with the use of SCP-███ as a stand-in for SCP-1964-A.

Addendum 1964-B

Proposal to use SCP-███ in case of the collapse of SCP-1964-A, potentially averting a ZK-Class Reality Failure Event.

- Senior Researcher Williams

Granted.

Staff assigned to SCP-███ have been informed of the new procedure. Testing may begin as of 12/07/1958

- O5-██

TEST LOG-1964-02:

SCP-1964 Testing

This test is being overseen by Senior Researcher Williams on 17/07/1958.

Testing Procedure:

SCP-███ is to act as a 'replacement' for SCP-1964-A: acting only on photons and gluons as these particles have no mass, thus allowing for observation of results.

UPDATE TO PROCEDURE

SCP-███ will be contained within a testing chamber capable of withstanding a small nuclear detonation during testing and W and Z bosons will now also be tested.

Results:

SCP-███ was successfully able to bestow mass upon the W and Z bosons, however it failed to give mass to photons or gluons.

Observations:

SCP-███ did not give mass to the W and Z bosons in excess of their possible mass (based on previous observations) and so may have been relying on the SCP-1964-A mechanism. In addition, it also failed to give mass in any form to photons or gluons.

This test has been deemed a failure. Research on SCP-1964 remains a top priority and other potential stand-ins are currently being considered.

Addendum 1964-C

As of 19/10/1964 it appears that SCP-1964 may now be an understood, non-anomalous, phenomenon. Foundation affiliate █████ █████ has published a paper detailing a potential explanation for SCP-1964: the maths checks out and the theory fits current observations.

Pending reclassification to Explained.

- Junior Research Assistant Collins

Denied.

Given the magnitude and scope of SCP-1964, we require positive confirmation of the theory before reclassification. This theory is based on a radical assumption that is unproven and we cannot halt research into SCP-1964 on its basis.

- O5-██

TEST LOG-1964-03:

SCP-1964 Testing

This test is being overseen by Senior Researcher Williams with help from Research Assistant Collins on 23/10/1967.

Testing Procedure:

The Foundation's on-site particle accelerator is to be used to create collisions between protons. The predicted outcome of this is the potential appearance of the so-called 'Higgs boson'. Several measurement instruments including a modified electron microscope are to be fitted around the points of collision.

Results:

No abnormalities or new particles detected. The 'Higgs boson' remains undiscovered.

Observations:

Our particle accelerator fires particles at close to the minimum possible rate for this experiment to be successful. Given that quantum particles are known to exhibit 'superpositions', we may have been unlucky. However, the calculations ran prior to this test instead suggest that our setup is too poor to reasonably expect to detect the 'Higgs boson'.

This test has been deemed a failure. Research on SCP-1964 remains a top priority and several potential stand-ins are currently being considered.

Addendum 1964-D

Proposal to provide funding for CERN's plans for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as it has the potential to confirm the existence of the Higgs field.

- Researcher Collins

Granted.

Foundation front company ██████ will make sizeable donations to the science programs of the member states.

- O5-██

Addendum 1964-E

As of 04/07/2012 observations at CERN have confirmed the existence of the so-called 'Higgs boson' and therefore, that of the 'Higgs' field.

Pending reclassification to Explained.

- Senior Researcher Collins

Approved.

In light of these events, the O5 Council has decided to continue funding scientific research in different institutions. As the Foundation's purpose is to contain 'anomalous' entities and phenomena, it is necessary to have an understanding of what is 'normal' to do so.

- O5-██

See here for the up to date file.

Footnotes

1. UPDATE: As of ██/██/1960, Foundation physicists have confirmed the validity of a paper published by ████████ █████ detailing the phenomenon of spontaneous symmetry breaking. This, however, does not solve SCP-1964.

- Senior Researcher Williams