The Fundamentals of Everything. [NYSF 2017]

(i.e. what’s a particle good for anyway?)

Background for the CERN video linkup

Aqeel AkberDepartment of Nuclear PhysicsAustralian National University

11 Jan 2017 Aqeel Akber (@AdmiralAkber) 2

Aqeel Akber [email protected] Twitter: @AdmiralAkber

Because I missed speed dating...● 2nd Gen Immigrant● Born in Darwin

– No hospital in Jabiru

● Didn’t study physics in Yr 12● Ph.D candidate in Physics● Favourite milkshake: Strawberry● Geek of all sorts, also enjoys:

– Nature– Visual Art– Musical Theatre– etc...

Sunset at Ubir, Kakadu National Park







Hands on experimental nuclear physics!







#sweet #delicious #omnomnomnom







LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS TREE!!







Colab with artist to paint my research



Who am I? (two, four, six, o one!!!)

● 2nd Gen Immigrant● Born in Darwin




Strongly recommend seeing Kinky Boots!



Who am I? (two, four, six, o one!!!)

● 2nd Gen Immigrant● Born in Darwin




Strongly recommend seeing Kinky Boots!

Pursuing physics has been more than just a science career choice for me.

I’ve learned to perceive the world in a unique way and dream about what it could be. I now find most things inherently interesting, and I enjoy this.

It is absolutely a part of my identity.


Outline

● What is CERN?● Fundamentals of everything

– Particles– Hadrons– Atoms– Molecules– Life, etc

● Question making!


CERN: The European Organisation for Nuclear Research

● 9 accelerators, 26 experiments, 21 member states

● 13,000 people on site + thousands elsewhere


Large Hadron Collider

● Circumference: 27 km– ACT is ~35 km wide

● 9,600 magnets– Magnetic field: 8.33T

● 100,000 times Earth’s

– Temperature: -271.3 °C● Cooler than outer space



Stuff that is made up of quarks

(I’ll get to this)

The LHC accelerates protons, and lead ions.



Two beams, travelling at 99.9999991% the speed of light in opposite directions collide 600

million times per second.


Why so fast?


What’s a particle good for anyway?


What’s a particle?



Powered by



The fundamental requisite to the greater.


What’s a particle good for?


Let, greater = description of all matter, how they interact and evolve.

“The Standard Model”


The empire of Enrico Fermi● Inhabitants are called Fermions ● They have energy + stuff to trade! But don’t

know how!● Two distinct tribes: Quarks and Leptons

Quarks Leptons

Trade Goods

SpinColourFlavourElectric

SpinFlavourElectric*

* Not all leptons have electric charge


The goods explained● Spin: Up or Down● Colour: Red, Green, Blue● Flavour: A group / generation● Electric: A number

Quarks Leptons

Trade Goods

SpinColourFlavourElectric

SpinFlavourElectric*

* Not all leptons have electric charge

Anti-matter is just a particle with anti-charge!(exception: Spin)


The bazaar’s of Satyendra Nath Bose● Merchants are called Bosons● Enables trade of energy + goods

– Gluons (g) → colour + spin– Photons (γ) → spin iff has electric– Z → flavour + spin– W+ or W- → flavour* + electric + spin

● Higgs → Proof of the existence of a bazaar that can give particles mass, if they ask.


The standard table of particles


+ Two more concepts...



1. Total energy and charge must be conserved (law!)



1. Total energy and charge must be conserved (law!)

2. Exchange is in favour of minimising energy and neutralising charge (the arrow of time?)

The formation of composite matter


The proton (H+)


Dueterium (2H+)


CERN Discovery (2015): Pentaquark

DUUCC


CERN Discovery (2015): Pentaquark


Bigger stuff: The hydrogen atom

Proton



Proton

I want to neutralize my electric charge!I have a comfy orbit, fits up to 2 electronsWTB: 1 electron, paying 13.6 eV via photon



Proton




Proton

I want to neutralize my postive charge!I have a comfy orbit, fits up to 2 electronsWTB: 1 electron, paying 13.6 eV via photon

The (Paul) Dirac Sea

e-Must neutralize charge! Comfy orbit?



Proton

@Electron: Sweet deal!


e-@Proton: I’ll take the orbit!



Proton


e-@Photon: I just want to chill!

Whatevz, energy is mine now l8rz.


Even bigger: Water molecule, covalent bond

e-

e-

e-

e-e-

e-

e-

e-

Got two vacant orbits for electrons, pays well.

Don’t bother applyingunless charge neutral

Oxygen

It’s not cheatingif its covalent...


Fundamental physics at human scale


Fundamental physics for engineering


… for environmental scientists


… for everyone.


Enough from me!

Until 20:00, we’ll create questions for Rolf Landua

● Groups of … x? Pick a spokesperson. Generate 2 or 3 questions. Pick your favourite + a backup

● After 15 mins, we’ll practice the questions, identify duplicates, pick your backup if someone else has your question


Example questions● Scientific

– What other experiments are done at CERN?– Why a proton and lead beam at the LHC?– What comes after the LHC?

● People– What kind of jobs do people do at CERN?

● Economics– How much does it cost to run the facility? Who pays?

● Organisational– How do so many countries and people ever make a decision?


Not yet a theory of everything


The Higgs mechanism

The Fundamentals of Everything. [NYSF 2017]

Science

Transcript of The Fundamentals of Everything. [NYSF 2017]