Peter Higgs 'overwhelmed' to receive Nobel Prize for Physics

The British scientist who first proposed the existence of a “God particle” has won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Peter Higgs won the accolade along with Belgian scientist Francois Englert for the role they played in the eventual discovery of the Higgs boson, a mechanism that explains how the most basic building blocks of the universe have mass.

In a statement released through Edinburgh University, where Higgs, 84, is an emeritus professor, he said: “I am overwhelmed to receive this award and thank the Royal Swedish Academy.

“I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle and to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their support. I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research.”

In 1964, Professor Englert published a theory that suggested fields interact with fundamental particles and give them mass.

Professor Higgs, then developed the concept for the boson particle while walking in the Scottish Highlands weeks later.

He wrote two scientific papers on his theory and was eventually published in the Physical Review Letters journal, sparking a 48-year hunt for the Higgs boson.

The particle was discovered by a team from the European nuclear research facility (Cern) in Geneva, Switzerland, last year.

The announcement of the prize was made at a Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ceremony in Stockholm.

Professor Higgs himself was not available to make any comment immediately after the announcement and is said by friends to have gone away in an attempt to avoid the spotlight.