For physicists, the discovery of the 'God particle' is "undeniable".

Agency Brazil – The discovery announced this Wednesday, the 3rd, by scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) regarding the confirmation of the existence of the subatomic particle Higgs boson, considered key to understanding the origin of the universe and the formation of matter, was enthusiastically received by the Brazilian Physical Society (SBF).

"The discovery of these particles is unquestionable. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is a concrete and real discovery. We've been waiting a long time [for confirmation] and we have no doubt about it," Ronald Shellard, vice-president of the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF) and researcher at the Brazilian Center for Physics Research in Rio de Janeiro, told Agência Brasil. For him, "the discovery crowns one of the greatest adventures of the human spirit" and is "a much greater achievement than man going to the moon," he compares.

For Shellard, the discovery is part of a huge "puzzle of what matter is like." "It's the last piece that was missing to verify experimentally," he emphasized. The Higgs boson particle is named after the Scottish physicist Peter Higgs, one of the first to speculate about the particle's existence, in 1964.

The existence of the Higgs boson was first suggested about 50 years ago, when the theory known as the Standard Model of how the universe works speculated that the cosmos cooled after the Big Bang and an invisible force, known as the Higgs Field, formed Higgs bosons along with associated particles, which transferred mass to other fundamental particles of all matter as we know it.

The researcher explains that the particle doesn't explain the universe, but it's a component that illustrates how matter works, how matter relates to itself. "Why we exist, why there aren't other universes made of submatter. It's a component in this explanatory framework about how nature is organized."

He adds that the discovery, still within the scope of basic science, is extremely important for everyday life because the verification has developed a series of technologies that could have rapid application, for example, in clinical diagnostic equipment. "Knowledge feeds our notions about the structure of the universe, but the immediate consequence is the associated technologies that have been conceived to arrive at this discovery."

The SBF vice-president was even more enthusiastic because the discovery comes after Brazil officially requested membership as an associate member of the European organization (which operates in Switzerland). Many Brazilians, like Shellard himself, have already worked for the organization, but the country's membership elevates the status of the Brazilian contribution and could yield good results for the national industry.

"The discovery came at a good time, a time when Brazil is moving towards becoming a member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research; when the country is seen as a partner and protagonist of science. The participation of Brazilian scientists marks a rite of passage," he assessed. "The advantage is extending the benefit to our scientists and to the industry that will be able to participate in tenders and processes that take place within the organization."

Brazil's entry still depends on approval from the organization itself and subsequently from the National Congress. The SBF expects Brazil to be a member of the entity in the first half of 2013.