Abstract

The Higgs boson is the last particle of the so-called Standard Model of particle
physics to be discovered. It is also inextricably related to the Higgs mechanism,
which is needed to explain why all of the other elementary particles can be
massive at all. Unsurprisingly, the search for the Higgs boson is considered to be
one of the most important topics in experimental particle physics; and it will be
the topic of my talk.

I will start by discussing the profound impact of symmetries, and in particular
how in quantum field theories they lead to the description of the electromagnetic,
strong, and weak interactions between elementary particles. Subsequently, I will
describe how the Higgs mechanism endows these elementary particles with
mass. In the last part of the talk, I will show how the specific properties of the
Higgs boson are used to conduct sensitive searches for its manifestation in
high-energy particle collision experiments. I will conclude by discussing the
latest results and giving an outlook to the exciting future of this endeavour.