ELEMENTARY PARTICLE PHYSICS
WHAT IS PARTICLE PHYSICS ?
Particle Physics, also known as high energy physics, is the study of elementary (subatomic) particles. The aims of high energy physics include answering some of the biggest and most fundamental questions about the universe such as:
- What is our world made of?
- How do the fundamental forces govern our universe?
- Is there a Grand Unified Theory to explain everything?
Through particle experiments and the development of high energy physics theories, it is hopeful that someday we can find the answers to these big questions.
BRIEF TIMELINE OF
PARTICLE PHYSICS
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In the 19th century, English chemist John Dalton proposed that each element is made up of a different type of atom.
-----------------------During the 1950s and 1960s, a variety of new particles were discovered from the collision experiments between high energy particle beams.
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Today, particle experiments are carried out all around the world, with the largest of which in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The idea that matters in the universe consist of small fundamental building blocks traces back to Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus' idea of atoms.
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With the discoveries of electrons, protons, and neutrons in the early 20th century, the era of subatomic particles began.
-----------------------The time of modern particle physics comes when the Standard Model of elementary particles was formulated during the 1970s.
BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT
PARTICLE PHYSICS
THE STANDARD MODEL
The standard model of particles describes all existing fundamental particles we have discovered so far and 3 of the 4 fundamental forces (except for gravity).
It is a great model, but still has a lot of problems, including matter-antimatter asymmetry, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, super-symmetry, and a lot more. These problems are studied by the so-called "physics beyond the standard model".
