Particle physics

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">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle/23897/">Who ordered that? An unexpected new particle shakes the Standard Model</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/brian-dodson/">Brian Dodson</a></div> <div class="date">September 19, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle/23897/#comments">5 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle/23897/pictures">2 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle/23897/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle-2.jpg" title="High-energy particle collision similar to those which may be giving us a glimpse of a new ..." alt="High-energy particle collision similar to those which may be giving us a glimpse of a new ..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> In the mid-1930s, physicists thought they knew all the subatomic particles of nature - the proton, neutron, and electron of the atom. However, in 1936 the muon was discovered - a new particle having such surprising properties that Nobel laureate I.I. Rabi quipped "Who ordered that?" when informed of the discovery. Evidence that a new light boson may exist has recently been published. If the discovery is confirmed, such a boson is not part of the Standard Model of Particle Physics - potentially leading to another "Who ordered that?" moment for physicists.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/standard-model-particle-physics-unexpected-particle/23897/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div>   <div class="summary_item " data-article="23319"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle/23319/">Is it or isn't it? The Higgs boson story</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/brian-dodson/">Brian Dodson</a></div> <div class="date">July 16, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle/23319/#comments">12 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle/23319/pictures">5 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle/23319/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle.jpg" title="Artist's impression of a proton-proton collision producing a pair of gamma rays (yellow) i..." alt="Artist's impression of a proton-proton collision producing a pair of gamma rays (yellow) i..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-like-boson-discovered/23188/" target="_blank">recent discovery</a> at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) of a massive particle "consistent with" the predicted properties of the Higgs boson hit the news with the force of a hurricane. But the phrase "consistent with" suggests that the CERN observation may also be "consistent with" other types of particle. Is it or isn't it? We're going to attempt to clarify the situation for you.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-boson-cern-alternative-particle/23319/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="23188"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-like-boson-discovered/23188/">New boson discovered, probably Higgs</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/james-holloway/">James Holloway</a></div> <div class="date">July 4, 2012</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-like-boson-discovered/23188/#comments">5 Comments</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-like-boson-discovered/23188/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/higgs-like-boson-discovered.png" title="A proton-proton collision observed by CMS produces two high-energy photons - behavior cons..." alt="A proton-proton collision observed by CMS produces two high-energy photons - behavior cons..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Numbers are yet to be crunched and the data analysis goes on, but one thing appears to be certain: scientists at CERN have discovered a new boson, and it's probably the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/lhc-higgs-boson/20851/" target="_blank">Higgs particle</a>, the missing particle of the Standard Model which is thought to lend all matter its mass. Both the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN observe a new particle with mass between 125 and 126 GeV, comfortably within the band of possible Higgs masses previously identified.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/higgs-like-boson-discovered/23188/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="16986"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/antimatter-atoms-trapped-observed/16986/">Antimatter trapped and studied for first time</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/ben-coxworth/">Ben Coxworth</a></div> <div class="date">November 18, 2010</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/antimatter-atoms-trapped-observed/16986/#comments">11 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/antimatter-atoms-trapped-observed/16986/picture/124654/">10 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/antimatter-atoms-trapped-observed/16986/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/antimatter.jpg" title="The ALPHA experiment at CERN" alt="The ALPHA experiment at CERN"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> An international collaboration of 15 research institutions have produced and trapped antimatter atoms for the first time ever. The feat was part of the ALPHA experiment, which is being conducted at Switzerland’s CERN particle physics laboratory. It could be a step towards answering one the biggest cosmological questions of all time.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/antimatter-atoms-trapped-observed/16986/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="13229"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/roadrunner-universe/13229/">World’s faster supercomputer models origins of the unseen universe</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/">Darren Quick</a></div> <div class="date">October 30, 2009</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/roadrunner-universe/13229/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/roadrunner-universe.jpg" title="Our current “Standard Model” of cosmology (left), a model without dark energy, and a w..." alt="Our current “Standard Model” of cosmology (left), a model without dark energy, and a w..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Scientists have for some time postulated that "dark matter" could partially account for evidence of missing mass in the universe, while the hypothetical form of energy known as "dark energy" is the most popular way to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate and accounts for 74 percent of the total mass-energy of the universe according to the standard model of cosmology. To better understand these two mysterious cosmic constituents scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are using <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/roadrunner-supercomputer-breaks-petaflop-barrier/9482/" target="_blank">Roadrunner</a>, the world’s fastest supercomputer, to model one of the largest simulations of the distribution of matter in the universe.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/roadrunner-universe/13229/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="11165"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/national-ignition-facility-megalaser/11165/">This battle station is fully operational - the world's largest laser nears completion</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/">Darren Quick</a></div> <div class="date">March 5, 2009</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/national-ignition-facility-megalaser/11165/#comments">1 Comment</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/national-ignition-facility-megalaser/11165/picture/70873/">8 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/national-ignition-facility-megalaser/11165/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/national-ignition-facility-mega-laser.jpg" title="Artist's rendering showing a NIF target pellet inside a hohlraum capsule with laser beams ..." alt="Artist's rendering showing a NIF target pellet inside a hohlraum capsule with laser beams ..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Lasers, is there anything they can’t do? If they’re not <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/laser-equipped-ground-vehicle-used-to-shoot-down-uav/10860/" target="_blank">shooting down UAVs</a>, they’re <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/lasers-to-combat-aids/8304/" target="_blank">fighting AIDS</a> or bringing us the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/mitsubishis-laservue-laser-tv-shipping-in-the-us/10293/" target="_blank">next generation of HDTVs</a>. That’s all well and good, but when it comes to lasers there’s none bigger than the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/https://lasers.llnl.gov/" target="_blank">National Ignition Facility</a> (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California - an instrument capable of delivering 500 trillion watts of power in a 20-nanosecond burst which is now nearing completion. Its myriad uses will include providing fusion data for nuclear weapons simulations, probing the secrets of extrasolar planets and could even lead to the holy grail of energy production - practical fusion energy.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/national-ignition-facility-megalaser/11165/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="9022"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/cern-opens-its-doors-to-the-world/9022/">CERN opens its doors to the world</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/mike-hanlon/">Mike Hanlon</a></div> <div class="date">March 20, 2008</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/cern-opens-its-doors-to-the-world/9022/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/9022_20030864121.jpg" title="CERN opens its doors to the world" alt="CERN opens its doors to the world"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> March 20, 2008 Next week (April 6, 2008), one of the most famous research institutions in history CERN will <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://lhc2008.web.cern.ch/LHC2008/" target="_blank">open its doors to the public</a>, offering a unique chance to visit. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (commonly known as CERN) is situated in Geneva and will display its newest and largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), before it goes into operation later this year. This scientific instrument, the largest and most complex in the world, is installed in a 27km tunnel, 100 metres underground.  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/cern-opens-its-doors-to-the-world/9022/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="7511"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="sd_top"> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/personalcomputing/" style="float: left; ">PERSONAL COMPUTING</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/go/7511/">IBM triples performance of World's Fastest Computer and breaks the "Quadrillion" Barrier</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/author/mike-hanlon/">Mike Hanlon</a></div> <div class="date">June 25, 2007</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/go/7511/picture/35220/">2 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback" href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/go/7511/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/7511_27060741940.JPG" title="IBM triples performance of World's Fastest Computer and breaks the 'Quadrillion' Barrier" alt="IBM triples performance of World's Fastest Computer and breaks the 'Quadrillion' Barrier"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> June 26, 2007 The world of computing continually throws up feats that are difficult to comprehend. If the world’s fastest car or world’s tallest building were suddenly to be outperformed by a factor of three, we’d be incredulous, yet such quantum leaps have become routine in the world of computing. IBM’s new Blue Gene/P is the second generation of the world's most powerful supercomputer. It triples the performance of its predecessor, Blue Gene/L while remaining the most energy-efficient and space-saving computing package ever built. Blue Gene/P scales to operate continuously at speeds exceeding one petaflop (one-quadrillion operations per second) and can be configured to reach speeds in excess of three petaflops. The system is 100,000 times more powerful than a home PC and can process more operations in one second than a stack of laptop computers 1.5 miles high (don’t try this at home folks).  <a href="/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/go/7511/">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="dotsontop">  <div id="search_form_bottom"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20121018032342/http://www.gizmag.com/search/" id="cse-search-box-bottom"> <span class="title">Looking for something? 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