What is the Higgs boson?
The Higgs boson (named for Scottish physicist Peter Higgs) is an unusual kind of subatomic particle. To explain how unusual, let's back up a bit.
In our current theory of particle physics, fundamental particles do not have mass on their own. They get their mass by interacting with the the Higgs field. The field is a concept like a magnetic or gravitational field: it's present everywhere. (Unlike a magnetic or gravitational field, though, the size of the Higgs field doesn't change much from place to place.) Higgs bosons are ripples of the Higgs field. By finding the Higgs bosons, we have evidence that the field itself exists - like seeing water waves and concluding there must be an ocean beneath.
The Higgs field is extremely important in particle physics. It's no exaggeration to say that your existence is enabled by it. Without it, atoms would not exist; electrons would zip away from nuclei at the speed of light. The value of the Higgs field determines what kinds of nuclei are stable and some of the differences between matter and antimatter. Almost all particles we know of are affected in some way by the Higgs field.
