We might have left school mid-December, but the world of science was as busy as ever. For those of you who haven’t been staying up-to-date on your science news, you might be surprised at what you missed.

Two Higgs Bosons?

Not likely.

On Dec. 13, CERN scientists revealed data that showed a discrepancy between their observed mass of the Higgs boson in the ATLAS experiment and the mass observed by other experiments. Scientific American interpreted this as possibly meaning there may be in fact two Higgs boson particles, whereas the current and most widely-accepted standard model of physics only allows for one.

When the ATLAS scientists presented the data, they did not suggest there may be two particles – only that their data showed a mass peak that differed from other Higgs experiments.

That isn’t to say that there can’t possibly be two Higgs particles. But when scientists presented their data, they made no mention of two Higgs particles. There is still overwhelming evidence to support Peter Higgs’ original model – a model of one Higgs particle.

Scientific American has since corrected a few misconceptions in their original article.

Below absolute zero

A group of physicists at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany claim to have created a system in which a gas — when aided by lasers and adjustments to the gas’ magnetic field — has reached negative Kelvin temperatures in a controlled laboratory for the first time. 

According to Nature magazine, the negative temperature was reached using a quantum gas made of potassium atoms, and lasers were used to ensure that the gas would remain in its lattice structure as the magnetic field was altered.

The achievement of the Ludwig Maximilian team, according to Science Daily, may provide new ground for cosmologists studying dark energy. The gas exhibited certain properties which are also attributed to dark energy. Dark energy is thought to be the culprit behind the universe’s expansion despite gravity’s pull, and a few particles of the gas also appeared to defy gravity in such a manner. 

The idea of negative Kelvin temperatures is nothing new, but never before has it been approached in this fashion. The details of the experiment and what they mean by “below absolute zero” veers on the complex side of things, but a wealth of information is available online for those with the time and the patience to learn about this new scientific development.