Now there may be a strong scientific case for extending the lifetime of LEP until December to allow the experiments to double the amount of data collected. According to Tully, this will allow the teams to reduce the likelihood that the signal is some kind of background effect to 1 in 10 000. Three 'events' were found which suggest that a Higgs boson was produced along with a Z boson, a neutral particle that carries the electroweak force. In these events, both the Higgs and the Z boson decay quickly to form quarks that cause a spray of particles in the detector. The international research board at CERN will decide on 14 September whether the LEP accelerator will continue running until December.
Particle physicists await with bated breath.
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