symmetry magazine | dimensions of particle physics
WEBScaling up the dark matter search. Physicists are preparing for the next generation of dark-matter experiments. Symmetry is an online magazine about particle physics and its connections to other aspects of life and science, from interdisciplinary collaborations to policy to culture.
What is a photon? - symmetry magazine
WEBWhat physicists refer to as photons, other people might just call light. As quanta of light, photons are the smallest possible packets of electromagnetic energy. If you are reading this article on a screen or a page, streams of photons are carrying the images of the words to your eyes. In science, photons are used for more than just illumination.
The deconstructed Standard Model equation - symmetry magazine
WEBThe deconstructed Standard Model equation. 07/28/16. By Rashmi Shivni. The Standard Model is far more than elementary particles arranged in a table. The Standard Model of particle physics is often visualized as a table, similar to the periodic table of elements, and used to describe particle properties, such as mass, charge and spin.
WIMPs in the dark matter wind - symmetry magazine
WEBWhen you add the Earth’s velocity of 30 kilometers per second to the sun’s, as happens when both are traveling in the same direction (toward the constellation Cygnus), then the dark matter wind feels stronger. More WIMPs are moving through the planet than if it were at rest, resulting in greater number of detections by experiments.
Incredible hulking facts about gamma rays | symmetry magazine
WEBGamma rays (indirectly) give life to Earth. Hydrogen nuclei are always fusing together in the core of the sun. When this happens, one byproduct is gamma rays. The energy of the gamma rays keeps the sun’s core hot. Some of those gamma rays also escape into the sun's outer layers, where they collide with electrons and protons and lose energy.
The Planck scale - symmetry magazine
WEBFeb 22, 2022 · The Planck scale. 05/19/16. By Rashmi Shivni. The Planck scale sets the universe’s minimum limit, beyond which the laws of physics break. In the late 1890s, physicist Max Planck proposed a set of units to simplify the expression of physics laws. Using just five constants in nature (including the speed of …
Can we fit the universe in a box? - symmetry magazine
WEBNov 7, 2023 · If the goal is to capture everything in the universe in a simulation, that means there should be one atom in the simulation for every atom in the universe. “There is no computer on Earth that will come remotely close to being able to do this,” Pontzen says. “The universe is just too complex. There's just too much stuff in it.”.
What is the electroweak force? - symmetry magazine
WEBNov 30, 2023 · One force, divisible. Physicists use equations of motion to describe how matter and force particles interact, painting a picture of their likely movements and behavior. The electromagnetic force, the weak force, and their corresponding particles can all be described by what are known as gauge theories, mathematical tools that physicists use to ...
Ten things you might not know about antimatter
WEBAntimatter is the stuff of science fiction. In the book and film Angels and Demons, Professor Langdon tries to save Vatican City from an antimatter bomb.Star Trek’s starship Enterprise uses matter-antimatter annihilation propulsion for faster-than-light travel.. But antimatter is also the stuff of reality. Antimatter particles are almost identical to …
Meet the kaon - symmetry magazine
WEBMeet the kaon. 11/10/20. By Nathan Collins. Nearly 75 years after the puzzling first detection of the kaon, scientists are still looking to the particle for hints of physics beyond their current understanding. All Clifford Charles Butler and George Rochester knew for sure was that they’d discovered something new.