The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has developed a huge and powerful particle accelerator known as the Large Hadron Collider.
Particle physics is the name of a discipline within physics whose object of study is the components of matter, also considering the analysis of the interactions that occur between them.
This branch of science, also known as high-energy physics , focuses on the distinctive features and behavior of elementary particles , many of which can only be observed using a particle accelerator . This is the name given to a device that uses electromagnetic fields to guide particles that, after reaching a high energy level, collide with other elements.
Today, experts resort to the standard particle model (the name given to a quantum field theory developed in the early 1970s that recognizes more than ten pairs of particles and their respective antiparticles as constituents of matter) to divide the aforementioned elementary particles into two groups: the fermion and the boson . In the first case, the theory says, the set includes the quark and the lepton and, as they have a half-integer particle spin , the elements are subject to the Pauli exclusion principle . The boson family, meanwhile, includes the gluon , the photon , the graviton (which is described in most models related to quantum gravity as a hypothetical elementary particle that influences gravitational interaction ) and the Higgs boson . The properties of fermions and bosons , according to specialists in the subject, could have a point of contact based on a hypothetical type of symmetry called supersymmetry .
Applications of particle physics
Particle physics has been adding more and more applications thanks to scientific discoveries and technological innovation.
This branch, which helps us to gain in-depth knowledge and understand the immensity of the universe, is fed back and complemented by astroparticle physics , an area where the focus is on researching, for example, cosmic rays and neutrinos . It is also linked to and enriched by knowledge from cosmology .
It has also contributed to perfecting medical diagnostic techniques and to the development of useful therapies for the treatment of various pathologies; it has inspired and promoted cultural projects that foster the fusion of art and science , and it has enabled the manufacture of electronic devices that use semiconductors, to list other achievements derived from the dedication to the progress of particle physics .
Particle physics experts use different types of particle accelerators to carry out their scientific research.
Fundamental force
Among the concepts that need to be mastered in order to understand more about particle physics is the notion of fundamental force . This expression identifies each type of interaction that has subatomic particles as its protagonists.
Within this framework, it is possible to differentiate between weak interaction (which leads to the disintegration of particles and the initiation of a nuclear fission process), strong interaction (a powerful force that manages to maintain the union between neutrons and protons and which is adequately explained by quantum chromodynamics ), gravitational interaction (focused on the phenomenon of gravitation ) and electromagnetic interaction (a set in which magnetic interaction and electrostatic interaction coexist).
Through particle physics it is possible to discover and understand phenomena and components related to the universe.
Specialized centers in particle physics
Research and experiments focused on particle physics are carried out in specialized centers distributed across various nations.
One of the most internationally recognised is CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) , which was created in 1954 and managed to establish itself as an example of collaborative work, as scientists from many countries collaborate in this space. To name a few milestones, the discovery of the so-called W and Z bosons took place there, while the physicist and engineer Georges Charpak managed to generate a multi-wire proportional chamber , a type of particle detector .
The Fermilab Laboratory, installed in the United States, also enjoys great prestige. The Tevatron , one of the most powerful particle accelerators on the planet, was installed there (the other is the Large Hadron Collider , which was developed by CERN ). Thanks to this device, the top quark was discovered, identified decades after the bottom quark had been identified.
Another accredited American scientific research center is the SLAC Laboratory (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) . Among the facilities and equipment that have enriched it over the years, we can mention the Stanford Linear Collider and a linear accelerator that was once the largest in the world.
In the search for information about particle physics experiments, meanwhile, projects such as the Forward Search ExpeRiment (FASER) are regaining visibility, designed to be able to analyze in detail interactions generated between high-energy neutrinos , the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment , intended for the study of encounters of heavy ions) and the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), created to expand knowledge in relation to the forces of the universe and the essential composition of matter .