Particles, forces and the Universe at the smallest distances

What high energy particle physics can tell us.

Particles, forces and the Universe at the smallest distances

What high energy particle physics can tell us.

How it is done.

Particles, forces and the Universe at the smallest distances

What high energy particle physics can tell us.

How it is done.

An equation, a diagram and a plot.

What high energy particle physics can tell us

Investigating nature at the smallest scales

Hopefully things are simpler there (?)

Need high energy to gain high resolution.

What high energy particle physics can tell us

Investigating nature at the smallest scales

Hopefully things are simpler there (?)

Need high energy to gain high resolution.

What high energy particle physics can tell us

Investigating nature at the smallest scales

Hopefully things are simpler there (?)

Need high energy to gain high resolution.

What high energy particle physics can tell us

Investigating nature at the smallest scales

Hopefully things are simpler there (?)

Need high energy to gain high resolution.

High energy wave means small wavelength

High Energy means near the big bang

High energy density

THEN

High Energy means near the big bang

High energy density

Lower energy density

THEN

NOW

How are such high energies achieved?

How are such high energies achieved?

Collisions at big, and unfortunately expensive, accelerators.

How are such high energies achieved?

The detectors

The detectors

The detectors

The detectors

The detectors

The detectors

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

55,000 DVDs per second... reduced to 1 DVD every 3 minutes by sophisticated “triggering” system.

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

55,000 DVDs per second... reduced to 1 DVD every 3 minutes by sophisticated “triggering” system.

High resolution

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

55,000 DVDs per second... reduced to 1 DVD every 3 minutes by sophisticated “triggering” system.

High resolution

100's of particles in some events.

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

55,000 DVDs per second... reduced to 1 DVD every 3 minutes by sophisticated “triggering” system.

High resolution

100's of particles in some events.

The detectors

Many technological challenges -

High speed, high data volumes

55,000 DVDs per second... reduced to 1 DVD every 3 minutes by sophisticated “triggering” system.

High resolution

100's of particles in some events.

The collaborations

An equation

E = mc2

A diagram

Nearly the same diagram

Another slightly different diagram

A plot

A similar plot

Summary

Brief tour of one aspect of particle physics

Missed out neutrinos experiments, precision e+e- machines, strong interaction physics...

The machines & collaborations are big, but there is plenty of data (and work!) to go around.

Pushing the “small” frontier throws up surprises, and has changed our picture of nature many times.

Summary

Watch out ... 1997.

LHC turns on

Either we find the Higgs, or the “standard model” comes crashing down

And UCL physicists will probably be to blame...

2004-08-03T18:32:30