Particle physics

A partial history of leptons and mesons

The history of particle physics starts with the concept of the atom. The word is derived from atomos, which means indivisible. It goes way back to the Greek philosopher Leucippus in the 5th century BC. His student Democritus promoted the idea, but Aristotle was dead against it. The Christian Church sided with Aristotle, and it wasn’t until the 17th century that atoms were resurrected. See the Philosophy Institute article Evolution of the Atomic Theory for more. Things really picked up in 1808 when John Dalton published…

Continue ReadingA partial history of leptons and mesons

Particle discovered at CERN solves a 20-year-old mystery

I just love this time of year. The Sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and the birds are singing. I think they’re happy. Like the children we hear at playtime in the nearby school. Like the robin that fluttered around me as I weeded the front border on my hands and knees. Flowers in my front border Spring is a time of optimism and promise¹, with so much to look forward to. I look forward to picnics on the beach, sundowners…

Continue ReadingParticle discovered at CERN solves a 20-year-old mystery

The Zitter Institute

The world is a troubled place, and I don’t feel too optimistic about it right now. I won’t go into details because this is a physics blog, not a politics blog. But for me the cherry on top of all the internecine strife comes from Avi Loeb. He’s been saying 3I/Atlas might be a massive alien spaceship. That’s because it’s come in on the planetary plane, and the coma is in front not behind. Wikipedia says it’s just an interstellar comet, but it still bothers me.…

Continue ReadingThe Zitter Institute

Quanta magazine

I've referred to Quanta Magazine articles in a number of my previous posts. For example in Quantum computing and the quantum quacks I referred to a 2019 article by Natalie Wolchover called How Space and Time Could Be a Quantum Error-Correcting Code. In The black hole charlatans I referred to a 2020 article by George Musser called The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End. In Quantum entanglement is scientific fraud I referred to a 2022 article by Natalie Wolchover called Physicists Create a Wormhole…

Continue ReadingQuanta magazine