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16950 results

Page 264 of 848

  • 1 - Introduction

  • Mark Thomson, University of Cambridge
  • Book:
    Modern Particle Physics
    Published online:
    28 May 2018
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013, pp 1-29

  • Summary

    The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics. In particular, it gives an overview of the fundamental particles and the relationship between these particles and the forces. It also provides an introduction to the interactions of particles in matter and how they are detected and identified in the experiments at modern particle colliders.

    The Standard Model of particle physics

    Particle physics is at the heart of our understanding of the laws of nature. It is concerned with the fundamental constituents of the Universe, the elementary particles, and the interactions between them, the forces. Our current understanding is embodied in the Standard Model of particle physics, which provides a unified picture where the forces between particles are themselves described by the exchange of particles. Remarkably, the Standard Model provides a successful description of all current experimental data and represents one of the triumphs of modern physics.

    The fundamental particles

    In general, physics aims to provide an effective mathematical description of a physical system, appropriate to the energy scale being considered. The world around us appears to be formed from just a few different particles. Atoms are the bound states of negatively charged electrons (e−) which orbit around a central nucleus composed of positively charged protons (p) and electrically neutral neutrons (n). The electrons are bound to the nucleus by the electrostatic attraction between opposite charges, which is the low-energy manifestation of the fundamental theory of electromagnetism, namely Quantum Electrodynamics (QED).

Page 264 of 848