Particle Physics at CERN
I just attended a virtual webinar from the University of Sheffield discussing CERN- specifically the Higgs Boson- and I'm excited to discuss what I've learned!
THE HIGGS BOSON
the Higgs Boson (HB) is a particle that gives other particles mass.
this is by having a field which spans the entire universe, so therefore particles must interact with it. How fast/slow they move through the field determines their mass.
A GOOD ANALOGY I SAW USED WAS THAT AT A PARTY, THE MORE FAMOUS YOU ARE (THE MORE MASS), THE HARDER IT IS TO MOVE THROUGH THE ROOM, SEEN AS THOUGH YOU MUST TALK TO MORE PEOPLE
the HB's mass was originally a free parameter, so it was perturbative
HB= was created by colliding 2 protons at extremely high energy is the centre of the collider. This immediately decayed into 2 Z Bosons, and then into a pair of electrons and a pair of muons, as predicted by the standard model
This event was then reconstructed with a hypothesis test , where the prediction of a ratio of 2:2 (2 in a pair) was proven correct
Technically the HB can decay into any (eg. a tau and an anti-tau) but a massless particle (at least directly)
125 GEV peak = HB proven!!
The Higgs coupling constant is the strength with which the HB interacts with other particles, and it grows with the particles' mass.
The HB interacts indirectly with light, as when it interacts with the heavy top quarks, they 'fold back on themselves' and decay into photons
CERN ITSELF
in the LHC, protons turn anti-clockwise and clockwise, and 4 experiments take place. This includes with symmetry and antisymmetry in matter, and quarks in a dense environment
The LHC has 2 beam pipes, where the protons are housed
There's superconductor magnets, which, using the Lorentz force, force the protons onto a circular path
**THE LORENTZ FORCE IS THE FORCE ON A CHARGED PARTICLE DUE TO ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS- electric is regardless of motion, and magnetic is due to motion--perpendicular to velocity and the magnetic field
in the ATLAS, there's a layered structure, which measures the path of particles inside to outside, as well as a calorimeter, which measures energy by absorbing them.
there's also the measuring of charged particles, electromagnetic particles, particles which contain quarks, particles with core energy and invisible particles
**INVISIBLE PARTICLES ARE PARTICLES WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO DETECT AS THEY RARELY INTERACT WITH MATTER, LIGHT OR EM RADIATION (EG, NEUTRINOS, DARK MATTER)
collisions and decays within the LHC; traces are left--"footprints"
the count of events is used to indicate a probability of the strength of an interaction
calorimeters are made of lead
at cern, there's still lots of research going on about the identities of dark matter, and why there's more matter than antimatter
**SUBSTANCES COMPRISED OF ANTIPARTICLES--SAME MASS AS THEIR COUNTERPART, BUT THE OPPOSITE CHARGE, SO THEY CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT.
antimatter could have gravitational properties
the theories of dark matter could lead to measurable particles?
