"This is very exciting because if the spin-zero determination is confirmed, it would be the first elementary particle to have zero spin, " he said.

BBC: LHC cements Higgs boson identification

While initial number-crunching at CERN suggests the new particle has spin zero, more proof is needed.

WSJ: New Data Boosts Case for Higgs Boson Find

"We've never seen an elementary particle with spin zero, " said Tony Weidberg, a particle physicist at the University of Oxford who is also involved in the CERN experiments.

WSJ: New Data Boosts Case for Higgs Boson Find