Recently, we
read of two young Malaysian graduates, one (male) in engineering, the other
(female) in physics who were chosen to go to CERN to study particle physics.
What is CERN,
why are two Malaysians going there, and why is the answer ‘42’?
I too have
studied physics and mathematics at Aligarh Muslim University in the early
1960’s and again I did a short postdoctoral course in astronomy at Oxford after
my retirement where I also studied some particle physics.
I think a lot
of us have not much clue what particle physics is all about. Most people know
something about electrons, protons, atoms and molecules when they were at
school, but have almost completely no idea about subatomic particles and their
relationship to the birth of this Universe.
Let me very
briefly introduce ourselves into the worlds of sub-atomic particles being
studied at CERN. As this area is highly technical and mathematical, let us only
have a glimpse of what all those particles are that make this Universe.
First, let us
go to the very beginning about atoms everyone would have learnt in school
science.
All matter is
made of particles.
These
particles are:
Atoms, the
fundamental units of matter, are composed of a nucleus (containing protons and
neutrons) and surrounded by electrons.
Then we have
the protons and neutrons found in the nucleus. They are made up of quarks
held together by the strong nuclear force.
Next, comes
the electrons. These are negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus.
They are elementary particles, meaning they aren’t made up of smaller
components.
But there are
sub-atomic particles too. Now let us upgrade our knowledge in physics into the
world of sub-atomic particles. The sub-atomic particles beyond protons and
neutrons are the quarks. These are the building blocks of protons and neutrons.
There are six types (flavors) of quarks, namely, up, down, charm, strange,
top, and bottom. Quarks always combine to form composite particles like protons
and neutrons (which are baryons) and mesons.
Next are the
leptons. These are a family of particles that includes the electron, muon, tau,
and their corresponding neutrinos. Unlike quarks, leptons do not experience the
strong nuclear force. They include the bosons that are force-carrying
particles. They include.
1.
Photon: Carrier
of the electromagnetic force.
- Gluon: Carrier of the strong force, which holds
quarks together in protons and neutrons.
- W and Z Bosons: Carriers of the weak force,
responsible for radioactive decay.
- Higgs Boson: Associated with the Higgs field,
which gives particles their mass.
- Mesons: These are composite particles made of
one quark and one antiquark. They are part of the hadron family, like
protons and neutrons, but mesons are typically unstable.
- Fermions: These are particles that make up
matter, like quarks and leptons. They obey the Pauli exclusion principle,
which means no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state
simultaneously.
Now we come to
The Standard Model which is a highly mathematical area that I think I should
try to avoid for my general gentle readers. However, briefly described in
non-technical and non-mathematical language, The Standard Model is a theory
that describes the fundamental particles (like quarks, leptons, and bosons) and
how they interact via fundamental forces (electromagnetic, weak, strong, and
gravity isn’t included in the Standard Model). It’s a well-tested framework
that explains most of the phenomena in particle physics.
Now we can go
to CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) where two Malaysian
graduates were selected to go.
First, What’s
Going on at CERN?
CERN is home
to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful
particle accelerator. Scientists there are smashing particles together at high
speeds to explore the fundamental forces and particles that make up the
universe. Some key areas of research there include:
1.
Searching for New Particles: Scientists are looking for particles beyond the
Standard Model, such as supersymmetric particles.
- Studying the Higgs Boson: Since its discovery in
2012, researchers are investigating its properties and how it gives mass
to other particles.
- Understanding Dark Matter and Dark Energy: These
make up most of the universe’s mass-energy content, yet they remain
mysterious.
But what
connection has all these particles got to do with the Universe? Let’s have a
look.
The Connection
to the Universe and Its Beginning
First, was
this Big Bang. The universe began with the Big Bang, a massive expansion from
an incredibly hot, dense state. The particles studied in high-energy physics
are the building blocks of everything that formed afterward.
Second, the
early universe. Just after the Big Bang, the universe was in an extremely hot,
high-energy state, where the forces and particles were unified in ways we don’t
yet fully understand. Studying these particles can provide clues about the
early universe’s conditions.
Third, we
understand cosmology and particle physics better since the behaviour of
particles and forces at the smallest scales influences the evolution of the
universe on the largest scales. Understanding these connections helps us answer
fundamental questions about the universe’s origin, structure, and fate.
Having
explained all that in the simplest non-technical language, I am unsure what
these two Malaysians are going to CERN for?
Are they going
to do research in particle physics to
understand astronomy and cosmology better why we are here after leaving CERN?
As for me, I
studied them out of academic interest since mathematics and physics is in my
blood after my 25 years in medical research which is an entirely different
field of knowledge
I hope the
rest of the general population in Malaysia understand what the purpose for
these two exceptional Malaysians was who went to CERN where it is actually only
meant for scientists like Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking
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