What good is particle physics?

Most particle physics research is publicly funded, so it is fair that society asks if this is a good use of taxpayers’ money. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln explains how this research attempts to answer questions that have bothered humanity since time immemorial. And, for those with a more practical bent, he explains how this research is an excellent investment with a high rate of return for society.

 

The LHC Experiments

The Large Hadron Collider or LHC is the world’s biggest particle accelerator, but it can only get particles moving very quickly. To make measurements, scientists must employ particle detectors. There are four big detectors at the LHC: ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln introduces us to these detectors and gives us an idea of each one’s capabilities.

 

If matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? - Chloé Malbrunot

Like positive and negative, or debit and credit, matter and antimatter are equal and opposite. So if matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? Chloé Malbrunot investigates that question by placing two atoms — one made of matter, and the other antimatter — in the cockpit of a plane, ready to jump. What do you think will happen?

 

The Origins of Mass

The Higgs boson was discovered in July of 2012 and is generally understood to be the origin of mass. While those statements are true, they are incomplete. It turns out that the Higgs boson is responsible for only about 2% of the mass of ordinary matter. In this dramatic new video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln tells us the rest of the story.

 

Big Questions: The Ultimate Building Blocks of Matter

The Standard Model of particle physics treats quarks and leptons as having no size at all. Quarks are found inside protons and neutrons and the most familiar lepton is the electron. While the best measurements to date support that idea, there is circumstantial evidence that suggests that perhaps the these tiny particles might be composed of even smaller building blocks. This video explains this circumstantial evidence and introduces some very basic ideas of what those building blocks might be.

 

Physics Nobel Prize 2013 - Sixty Symbols

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to François Englert and Peter Higgs - but who missed out and what will happen with future prizes?

 Discussed by Professor Ed Copeland and Professor Mike Merrifield from the University of Nottingham.

 

The Higgs and all that. How the universe works and why we should care

Berkeley Lab's Ian Hinchliffe discusses "The Higgs and all that. How the universe works and why we should care" in this Oct. 28, 2013 talk, which is part of a Science at the Theater event entitled Eight Big Ideas.

 

Particle accelerators and society

Talk given by Lyn Evans, project leader of the LHC and now of Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, at the CERN Opendays 2013. To view this talk alongside the slides shown see http://cds.cern.ch/record/1605122.

 

Higgs Boson Discovery Wins Nobel Prize for Physics

Peter Higgs and Francois Englert win Nobel Prize in Physics. Want to know what makes the Higgs Boson Nobel Prize-worthy? Brian Greene explains.

 

The Discovery of the Higgs Boson: America's Role

The discovery of the Higgs boson was an international endeavor, involving thousands of physicists from across the world. While the accelerator at which the experimental work was done is located on Europe, the US supplied more physicists than any other single country. America had a very large role in the discovery of the Higgs particle and continues to have a leading role in the ongoing studies of the boson's properties. This video describes some of the contributions of U.S. universities and laboratories.

 

The Shrinking Proton - Sixty Symbols

The proton may be smaller than we thought. Our experts explain why this could be a really big deal for physics. More videos at http://www.sixtysymbols.com/

 

How epic solar winds make brilliant polar lights - Michael Molina

Why do we see those stunning lights in the northern- and southernmost portions of the night sky? The Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis occur when high-energy particles are flung from the Sun's corona toward the Earth and mingle with the neutral atoms in our atmosphere -- ultimately emitting extraordinary light and color. Michael Molina explains every step of this dazzling phenomenon. Lesson by Michael Molina, animation by Franco Barroeta.

 

Particle Physics Gravity and the Standard Model

Lawrence Berkeley Lab Scientist Andre Walker-Loud presents to high-school students and teachers, explaining the nature of the four fundamental forces, and how the standard model of particle physics relates to cosmology. He also talks about Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and why his profession is both important and rewarding.

 

The basics of the Higgs boson - Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-basics-of-boson-dave-barney-and-steve-goldfarb

 In 2012, scientists at CERN discovered evidence of the Higgs boson. The what? The Higgs boson is one of two types of fundamental particles and is a particular game-changer in the field of particle physics, proving how particles gain mass. Using the Socratic method, CERN scientists Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb explain the exciting implications of the Higgs boson.

 Lesson by Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb, animation by Jeanette Nørgaard.

 

Neutrinos: Nature's Ghosts?

Dr. Don Lincoln introduces one of the most fascinating inhabitants of the subatomic realm: the neutrino. Neutrinos are ghosts of the microworld, almost not interacting at all. In this video, he describes some of their properties and how they were discovered. Studies of neutrinos are expected to be performed at many laboratories across the world and to form one of the cornerstones of the Fermilab research program for the next decade or more.

 

What is Supersymmetry? (Fermilab)

In this video, Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln describes the principle of supersymmetry in an easy-to-understand way. A theory is supersymmetric if it treats forces and matter on an equal footing. While supersymmetry is an unproven idea, it is popular with particle physics researchers as a possible next step in particle physics.

 

Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln explains some of the reasons that physicists are so interested in supersymmetry. Supersymmetry can explain the low mass of the Higgs boson, provide a source of dark matter, and make it more likely that the known subatomic forces are really different facets of a single, common, force.

 

The Search for Antimatter

If you don't have any idea what antimatter is, you don't have to feel bad - the brightest minds in the world have only recently begun to understand what it is and how it works. Hank gives us the run down on what we know about antimatter, and what we're still trying to figure out.

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Cosmic Rays Mystery Solved - Sixty Symbols

New observations seem to settle the question of where cosmic rays come from.

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Demystifying the Higgs Boson with Leonard Susskind

(July 30, 2012) Professor Susskind presents an explanation of what the Higgs mechanism is, and what it means to "give mass to particles." He also explains what's at stake for the future of physics and cosmology.

 

CERN in 3 minutes

CERN in a nutshell.