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R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
“It’s another type of atom. Carbon, I think. It has a centre
made up of protons, and other particles called neutrons.”
“What else is there to see?” Alice’s attention was beginning
to wander. After all, she was only a little girl. Suddenly there
was a huge explosion, and two dazzling flashes of light sped off
in opposite directions. “Wow!”
“That was an annihilation. It happens sometimes when there’s
antimatter about. You’d better watch out for bosons. Especially the Higgs boson. If he grabs you, you will get very heavy
indeed.”
“Come on, Alice,” said Marigold, becoming apprehensive
about their safety. “It’s time we were getting back. She held up
the container of green pills, but Alice showed no interest.
“Are there any things smaller than these, Dr Quantum?”
“I don’t know,” said the little bald man, his face reddening
with embarrassment at being forced to make such an admission.
“Not just me. Nobody knows.”
Suddenly Marigold realised what her daughter was thinking.
She knew that cheeky expression only too well. “Alice, no. Stop.
You mustn’t. Alice!” Too late, she grabbed at Alice’s hand. It was
empty, and the little girl was already shrinking, on her way to
another domain, where not even Dr Quantum, with all his great
scientific knowledge, could tell her what to expect.
∗ ∗ ∗
If we leave Alice, and her reluctant mother, chasing excitement in their
search for the ever smaller, we must realise they are only emulating the physicists of the 20th Century, whose penchant for the infinitesimal extended the
range of physics deep into the subatomic domain. In so doing, they opened
up a new world of great beauty, and considerable complexity, which we shall
explore in the remaining Sections of this Chapter.
9.2 The Particle Zoo
As we have seen in Chap. 8, at the end of the 19th Century, physicists
were quite happy with their understanding that, together with electrons
and photons, the world was comprised of atoms, bound into molecules,
and that these molecules made up all of the vast variety of matter that
surrounds us. There were those, such as Rutherford, who were dissatisfied
R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
“It’s another type of atom. Carbon, I think. It has a centre
made up of protons, and other particles called neutrons.”
“What else is there to see?” Alice’s attention was beginning
to wander. After all, she was only a little girl. Suddenly there
was a huge explosion, and two dazzling flashes of light sped off
in opposite directions. “Wow!”
“That was an annihilation. It happens sometimes when there’s
antimatter about. You’d better watch out for bosons. Especially the Higgs boson. If he grabs you, you will get very heavy
indeed.”
“Come on, Alice,” said Marigold, becoming apprehensive
about their safety. “It’s time we were getting back. She held up
the container of green pills, but Alice showed no interest.
“Are there any things smaller than these, Dr Quantum?”
“I don’t know,” said the little bald man, his face reddening
with embarrassment at being forced to make such an admission.
“Not just me. Nobody knows.”
Suddenly Marigold realised what her daughter was thinking.
She knew that cheeky expression only too well. “Alice, no. Stop.
You mustn’t. Alice!” Too late, she grabbed at Alice’s hand. It was
empty, and the little girl was already shrinking, on her way to
another domain, where not even Dr Quantum, with all his great
scientific knowledge, could tell her what to expect.
∗ ∗ ∗
If we leave Alice, and her reluctant mother, chasing excitement in their
search for the ever smaller, we must realise they are only emulating the physicists of the 20th Century, whose penchant for the infinitesimal extended the
range of physics deep into the subatomic domain. In so doing, they opened
up a new world of great beauty, and considerable complexity, which we shall
explore in the remaining Sections of this Chapter.
9.2 The Particle Zoo
As we have seen in Chap. 8, at the end of the 19th Century, physicists
were quite happy with their understanding that, together with electrons
and photons, the world was comprised of atoms, bound into molecules,
and that these molecules made up all of the vast variety of matter that
surrounds us. There were those, such as Rutherford, who were dissatisfied