Particle physicists did not stop searching for new particles after the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson was a significant discovery made at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012, and its existence confirmed a key aspect of the Standard Model of particle physics. However, it did not solve all the unanswered questions in the field.
The Higgs Boson's discovery was a major milestone, as it provided evidence for the Higgs field, which gives mass to elementary particles. It completed the Standard Model by confirming the mechanism responsible for generating mass, but it did not address other important phenomena and questions in particle physics, such as dark matter, dark energy, or the hierarchy problem.
Particle physicists continue to search for new particles and phenomena beyond the Standard Model. They are interested in understanding the nature of dark matter, which is believed to make up a significant portion of the universe's mass but does not interact with light or ordinary matter. There are ongoing experiments, such as the search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), that aim to detect dark matter particles directly.
Moreover, scientists are also interested in exploring other unanswered questions like the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe, the nature of neutrinos (whether they are their own antiparticles), and the unification of the fundamental forces, among others. These areas of research involve the search for new particles and physics beyond the Standard Model.
It is important to note that the discovery of new particles is a complex and challenging task. It requires sophisticated experimental techniques, high-energy colliders, and careful data analysis. The process of searching for new particles often takes time, and breakthroughs may occur after years or even decades of research. So, while the discovery of the Higgs Boson was a significant achievement, it did not halt the search for new particles and the exploration of fundamental physics.