Particle Physics: an introduction

What are we all made of? A simple but deep question that has been puzzling the greatest of minds for centuries. The Greeks believed that we all consisted of tiny indivisible things, which they called atoms. However, this was all changed in the late 1800s by the discovery of the proton, followed soon after by the electron and the neutron. Later on, in 1968 scientists discovered particles inside the protons and neutrons known as quarks. This was the birth of a new science known as particle physics.

What is Particle Physics??

There are two ways of understanding the world around you. The first one is looking at everything and determining its properties. This can take an eternity. The second one is looking at the smallest things which make up the things around you and understand them. If you do so, in principle you can understand anything around you. However, this is easier said than done. These particles are so small that they are impossible to detect with any kind of microscope. To detect these elementary particles scientists fire them at close to light speeds in large accelerators and smash them together. This results in a sea of new, smaller particles to be created which can then be studied. In its essence, that's all there is in particle physics.

Why is it important?

At first glance, the realm and the study of particle physics look to be pretty meaningless

in the real world. However, this is not the case. Particle physics has many real-world applications such as computer tomography, MRIs and PET scans.

Particle physics has made it possible for advanced treatment options like accelerator-based therapy. Furthermore, the semiconductors in your laptop were also made with the help of particle accelerators like the one at CERN. You can also thank particle physics for the touch screen technology in your smartphones. Even the world wide web you are using right now to read this blog was a derivative of particle science!