The Higgs Boson: On the Verge of Discovery
Prof. Dr. Marcela Carena (Dept. of Physics, University of Chicago, USA)

The Standard Model of particle physics successfully describes the interactions among all of the known, fundamental particles of nature. This theoretical description relies on the existence of a new particle, the Higgs boson, expected to be responsible for the generation of mass of all the fundamental particles. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN was built to find the Higgs boson. After two years of operation, the data indicates that we may be on the verge of discovering the elusive Higgs particle. Such a discovery will pose other relevant questions that may point towards new physics beyond the Standard Model and provide answers to some of the most fundamental questions of science: The unification of all the forces, including gravity; the explanation of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe; and the nature and origin of Dark Matter. I will discuss the interpretation of the latest experimental results relevant for Higgs physics both within the Standard Model and in its extension through an enhanced symmetry of nature, called "Supersymmetry".