Physica Prize 2013 for Frank Linde and Stan Bentvelsen
Nikhef director professor Frank Linde and Nikhef researcher professor Stan Bentvelsen have received the Physica Prize 2013 for their contributions to the discovery of the Higgs particle using the Atlas detector. Linde is the former programme leader of the Nikhef ATLAS group (until 2004) and Bentvelsen is the current programme leader (since 2004).
"From a work-technical perspective the discovery of the Higgs particle on 4 July 2012 is the most emotional moment in my career to date. And that moment has been made even more special still with the awarding of this prize. It is also a fantastic recognition for Nikhef: Due to the collaborative nature of much of our research we often miss the boat when it comes to prizes and awards," says Linde. Bentvelsen is also enthusiastic: "Fantastic that this prize has been awarded to experimental particle physics. I view this as a recognition for the many years of work by the Nikhef Atlas group and am pleased that this prize recognises the work of the entire group."
ATLAS collaboration
The discovery of the Higgs particle is the successful outcome of a huge collaborative project. A very large number of researchers from the ATLAS group of Nikhef are closely involved in the Higgs research. The Nikhef researchers -employed at FOM Institute Nikhef, Radboud University Nijmegen and the University of Amsterdam - have made important contributions to all areas (hardware, computing, software, analysis) within the ATLAS collaboration.
About the Physica Prize
The Physica Prize is awarded each year to an eminent physicist working in the Netherlands. The chairs of the Dutch Physical Society and the Physica Foundation award the prize after consulting various representatives from the physics community in the Netherlands.
Physica lecture
Linde and Bentvelsen will give the associated Physica lecture during the evening programme of FYSICA 2013 on Friday 19 April at Delft University of Technology. In their lecture entitled 'The hunt for Higgs' they will describe the start of the project (Linde) as well as the discovery of the Higgs particle (Bentvelsen).
Linde and Bentvelsen were closely involved in the discovery of the Higgs particle as respectively the former and current programme leader of the Nikhef ATLAS group respectively.