Your Particle Physics Guide: Part 2

The Standard Model is the theory that describes the interaction of forces affecting subparticles, like electrons and quarks. Although this physics deals with the major forces that govern our universe, it often seems disconnected from us--like it belongs to another reality. In truth, it does deal with matters outside out everyday experience; however, that does not make it any less important. Ultimately, understanding the Standard Model is a necessary part of understanding our universe; it is the best thing that we have at our disposal when trying to make experimental predictions.

So let"s take a moment to get to know the Standard Model, and the universe, a little better.
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/your-particle-physics-guide/

Image:
2011 Keiko Murano

Your Particle Physics Guide (1/2)

Here at From Quarks To Quasars, we like to cover particle physics topics regularly. The content is abstract and difficult enough to comprehend as it is. But what can further compound the problem for the average science enthusiast is the array of jargon we sometimes use, that is, the unique expressions typically associated with the field of science. Ultimately, showing someone the standard model and then expecting them to understand particle physics is a bit like someone watching a documentary on the pyramids of Giza and then being expected to decipher the cryptic hieroglyphics lining the walls on the inside. Both are things that will take years of study to fully understand (and even then, there is a lot we don"t get).

That being said, we have compiled a beginner"s guide to the basics of the Standard Model terminology, and included some very common misconceptions and descriptions of the more abstract workings.

See the article here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/your-particle-physics-guide-p1/

Unedited Image (Original Source Unknown): http://ow.ly/s7D7r

Light: Particle or Wave?

Classically, light can be thought of in two ways: either as a particle or a wave. But what is it really? Well, the "observer effect" makes that question kind of difficult to answer. So before we get too far into it, what is the observer effect?

Simply put, the observer effect is a principle that states simply observing (or measuring) something can change its value. This effect is vastly more important in quantum mechanics than in everyday life, though it appears in a great many places. This means that - like most things in the quantum world - the phrase “what you see is what you get” doesn’t really apply. Therefore measuring what light is, in a way, can defeat the purpose. However the observer effect does very nicely explain why we have made tests that conclusively prove that light is a particle, and we have made tests that conclusively prove that light is a wave. Logic dictates that it can’t be both...

Or does it? Read more; http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/light-particle-or-wave/

Image Credit: Douglas Hofstadfter

A Cool Experiment: The IceCube Neutrino Observatory

Up until the turn of the 21st century, neutrino detectors were pretty much unheard of. This made the hunt for the plentiful (but elusive) subatomic particle a lot more difficult than it needed to be. However, we recently created an observatory that will revolutionize our understanding of the universe. This observatory just happens to be located in one the coldest, most inhospitable place on Earth. You see, astronomers - the clever bunch they are - have turned a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice into the largest neutrino observatory in the world.

Want to learn how this observatory will help us find neutrinos and see photonic booms? Then check out:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/a-cool-experiment-the-icecube-neutrino-observatory/

Image source:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113010258/icecube-cosmic-neutrino-discovery-astronomy-112113/