High Energy Physics

High Energy Physics

Einstein
More than any other equation in physics, E = mc² is recognizable and profound. But what do we actually learn about reality from it?
A close-up digital rendering shows a glowing blue orb with intricate internal patterns, resembling a microscopic or sci-fi object, set against a dark background with scattered lights.
Quarks and leptons are the smallest known subatomic particles. Does the Standard Model allow for an even smaller layer of matter to exist?
A computer-generated visualization shows particle collision data with yellow lines and red dots against a black background. The simulated particles appear to interact within a transparent geometric shape.
Today, the Large Hadron Collider is the most powerful particle physics experiment in history. What would a new, successor collider teach us?
A digital rendering of a black hole with a glowing, distorted light accretion disk around its event horizon in space, set against a pitch-black background.
A recent paper in the journal Physical Review Letters claims to prove that a "kugelblitz" is not possible.
Often viewed as a purely theoretical, calculational tool only, direct observation of the Lamb Shift proved their very real existence.
A black and white particle track image on the left and a colorful representation of a neutrino.
The properties of a ghostly particle called a neutrino are coming into focus.
The last infant stars are finishing their formation inside these pillars of gas. The evaporation of those columns is almost complete.
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CERN's NA64 experiment used a high-energy muon beam technique to advance the elusive search for dark matter, offering new hope for solving one of astronomy's greatest mysteries.
Comparison chart showing the Standard Model particles on the left and the hypothetical SUSY particles on the right. The red arrow highlights the SUSY gluon (g-tilde). Before we give up supersymmetry, consider how these theoretical particles could revolutionize our understanding of physics.
Almost 100 years ago, an asymmetric pathology led Dirac to postulate the positron. A similar pathology could lead us to supersymmetry.
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3mins
Nobel Prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek reflects on Einstein’s greatest contribution.
fusion power
From forming bound states to normal scattering, many possibilities abound for matter-antimatter interactions. So why do they annihilate?
proton internal structure
It's 2024, and we still only know of the fundamental particles of the Standard Model: nothing more. But these 8 unanswered questions remain.
standard model color
Predicted way back in the 1960s, the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 completed the Standard Model. Here's why it remains fascinating.
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Scientists are searching for dark matter particles that are trillions or even quadrillion times lighter than the more traditional searches. 
LHC insides
CERN's Large Hadron Collider is the most powerful particle accelerator ever. To go even further, we'll have to overcome something big.
CERN_ATLAS_Detector The standard model in physics
With new W-boson, top quark, and Higgs boson measurements, the LHC contradicts earlier Fermilab results. The Standard Model still holds.
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IceCube scientists have detected high-energy tau neutrinos from deep space, suggesting that neutrino transformations occur not only in lab experiments but also over cosmic distances.
Interior of a particle physics laboratory showing a complex particle accelerator setup with multiple cables, detectors, and machinery designed to study glueball particles.
Glueballs are an unusual, unconfirmed Standard Model prediction, suggesting bound states of gluons alone exist. We just found our first one.
atom quantum
Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?
symmetric
If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at higher energies, something even grander happens?
Abstract representation of a cosmic event with a burst of particles emanating from a central point, blending astrophysical imagery with geometric designs.
The "first cause" problem may forever remain unsolved, as it doesn’t fit with the way we do science.
A person dressed in a tailored suit emerges from a cloud of smoke against a backdrop adorned with kelvin physics equations and diagrams.
Lord Kelvin is thought to have said there was nothing new to discover in physics. His real view was the opposite.
A digital image of a star's structure superimposed on a futuristic tunnel with neon arrow accents.
In the infant Universe, particle physics reigned supreme.
standard model structure
A great many cosmic puzzles still remain unsolved. By embracing a broad and varied approach, particle physics heads toward a bright future.
A star is being stretched and pulled apart by the gravity of a black hole in the middle of a field of stars.
7mins
Is information intrinsic in our universe? NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains.
The letter j on a blue background.
Discrepancies between observations and theory regarding subatomic particles called muons may force scientists to rethink the quantum world.
A map with a circle and a circle in the middle.
The $21.5-billion project could involve tunneling hundreds of feet under Lake Geneva.
A black and white image of a large circular object.
Recent measurements of CERN data seem to disagree with standard-model predictions about how the Higgs boson decays, though further analysis is needed to confirm the observations.
A tunnel is being constructed in a tunnel.
The DUNE project will beam tiny neutrinos across vast distances. But the first step involved moving a heavier material: 1 million tons of rock.
primordial black holes
Today, supermassive black holes and their host galaxies tell a specific story in terms of mass. But JWST reveals a different story early on.