The standard model of the universe is concerned with the
particles and forces within our universe and how they interact with each other
– and how the forces are carried.
Initially Greek philosophers such as Democritus proposed
that the world could have been made of tiny atoms which made up everything.
This was found to be true; but it wasn’t the end. Then using
such experiments as Rutherfords gold
scattering experiment we deduced that there are 3 types of particle within the
Atom; Electrons, Protons and Neutrons.
Lately due to the recent steps forward in high-energy
physics we have been able to detect even small particles. These particles are
found within the protons and neutrons, or in other particles made in other
interactions (or on there own).
“Quarks” are the smallest known particles known to us at the
moment. Initially we started to know about the Up and Down quarks found in
protons and neutrons; but after finding more particles and observing many more
reactions at higher energies we found 2 heavier quarks “Charm” and “Strange”.
These particles are much more massive than the up and down quarks; and this
pattern is continued when we found the Top and Bottom quarks with the Top quark
being more massive than a whole proton (which is amazing considering the top
quark is a fundamental particle and the proton is made of 3 “uud”)
Leptons are also included within the standard model; the
simplest lepton is an Electron and this also has a Electron Neutrino aswell.
However heavier versions of the electron have been found to match the groups of
quarks we found before. These are called Muon and Tau (they also have
corresponding Neutrinos).
Gauge Bosons or force carriers are commonly known for
carrying forces between molecules and are found in the stage between when a
particle is turning into another particle. The 4 bosons are photons (electromagnetic),
gluons (strong) and z & w bosons (Weak). These bosons as you can see match
up with the forces we know in our universe.
But where is gravity? You may ask. Well unfortunately the
standard model doesn’t account for gravity – it is one of it’s major flaws.
However there are theory that we should find graviton particles which carry the
force of gravity like the other bosons do.
The final thing I will mention is the Higgs Boson.
This is the most recent significant finding in physics and
is extremely exciting. It proposes that the higgs boson is the particle which
gives particles mass and opens up a whole new set of questions for us to ponder
over and experiment on.
So that’s a basic overview of the standard model’s
particles!
Have a great day :D
p.s remember when you
say more “massive” or more “energy” it means the same thing as E = mc^2 so a
particle with more energy is heavier and vice versa.
