It started as a brainwave on a walk in the Cairngorms and led a British scientist to the Nobel Prize in physics.
Professor Peter Higgs, the man who gave his name to the Higgs boson particle, was awarded the highest honour in science yesterday for his efforts to explain the origins of the universe.
The 84-year-old emeritus professor at Edinburgh University said in a statement that he was “overwhelmed” by the accolade but, typically humble, he was unavailable to give interviews because he had gone on holiday without a phone to escape the fuss.
Prof Higgs’ flash of inspiration came while hiking in the Cairngorm mountains in 1964 when he started to consider the existence of a particle that gives matter its mass.
The notion led to a hunt lasting almost half a century for the so-called Higgs boson, or “God particle”, which was discovered by a team from the European nuclear research facility in Geneva last year.
Using the world’s biggest atom smashing machine, the £2.6billion Large Hadron Collider, they were finally able to explain why the basic building blocks of the Universe have mass.
Prof Higgs shares the Nobel Prize with Francois Englert of Belgium for their work in the “theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles”.
In his statement released through Edinburgh University, the Newcastle-born academic congratulated all those who had contributed to the achievement. “I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research,” he added.
Prof Higgs was made a companion of honour in the New Year Honours list and has given his name to the Higgs Prize, set up by the Scottish Government to recognise school pupils who excel in physics.
Congratulating him on the Nobel Prize, First Minister Alex Salmond said: “This richly deserved honour not only highlights the quality of research carried out in Scotland, but also how science inspires us to look for answers to fundamental questions about life and the universe.”
The awards, celebrated at a ceremony in Stockholm yesterday, were set up by businessman Alfred Nobel and were first given out in 1901 to honour achievements in science, literature and peace.
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