Finding the "God particle"

Francois Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of Britain won the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their theory on how the most basic building blocks of the universe acquire mass, eventually forming the world we know today.

Their concept was confirmed last year by the discovery of the so-called Higgs particle, also known as the Higgs boson, at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

This undated image made available by CERN shows a typical candidate event in the search for the Higgs boson, including two high-energy photons whose energy (depicted by red lines) is measured in the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter.

The yellow lines are the measured tracks of other particles produced in the collision.

A worker stands by the Compact Muon Solenoid, a general-purpose detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, July 19, 2013.

Deep below the border between Switzerland and France, the tunnel stretches out of sight, decked with silver installations fit for a starship.

In 2012, the world's largest particle collider made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science, identifying what is believed to be the Higgs boson -- the long-sought maker of mass.

Today, its computer screens are dark, but behind the scenes, work is pushing ahead to give the vast machine a mighty upgrade, enabling it to advance the frontiers of knowledge even farther.

Belgian theoretical physicist Francois Englert looks on during a visit to the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Meyrin, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, June 4, 2013.

Englert, along with Peter Higgs of Britain, won the 2013 Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday.

A graphic showing traces of collision of particles at the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experience is pictured with a slow speed experience at Universe of Particles exhibition at CERN, Dec. 13, 2011.

A worker rides his bicycle in a tunnel at CERN, July 19, 2013.

A worker stands below the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), a general-purpose detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, July 19, 2013.

A scientist looks at a section of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, during maintenance work, July 19, 2013.

Scientists look at a section of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, during maintenance work, July 19, 2013.

A scientist gestures next to a banner at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), July 19, 2013.

A scientist walks in a tunnel inside the CERN Large Hadron Collider, during maintenance work, July 19, 2013.

An illustration of the reconstructed event from the one of the first lead-ion collisions seen by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 8, 2010. Scientists recreated conditions shortly after the Big Bang by switching the particles used for collisions from protons to much heavier lead ions.

An illustration of the reconstructed event from the High Level Trigger (HLT), showing tracks from the Inner Tracking System (ITS) and the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of ALICE (A Large Ion Collider experiment), one of the first lead-ion collisions seen by the ALICE experiment at the CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 8, 2010.

An illustration of the reconstructed event from the one of the first lead-ion collisions seen by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 8, 2010. Scientists recreated conditions shortly after the Big Bang by switching the particles used for collisions from protons to much heavier lead ions.

Scientists walk inside the main room at the European Organization for Nuclear Research's Large Hadron Collider.

The world's largest superconducting solenoid magnet at the European Organization for Nuclear Research Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator in Geneva.

A model of the Large Hadron Collider tunnel is seen in the CERN visitors' center. The device is installed in a tunnel 27 kms in circumference, buried 50 to 150 meters below ground. It will provide collisions at the highest energies ever observed in laboratory conditions. Four huge detectors can observe the collisions, allowing physicists to explore new territory in matter, energy, space and time

A large dipole magnet, one of the more than 1,700 magnets that make up the collider.

The CMS, or Compact Muon Solenoid.

An image of the Large Hadron Collider.