April 2024 – Of Particular Significance
To clarify what it means for a spread-out electron to have zero-intrinsic size, I've written a webpage explaining how a proton's intrinsic size is measured.| Of Particular Significance
To clarify what it means for a spread-out electron to have zero-intrinsic size, I've written a webpage explaining how a proton's intrinsic size is measured.| Of Particular Significance
Gravitational waves are now the most important new tool in the astronomer’s toolbox. Already they’ve been used to confirm that large black holes — with masses ten or more times t…| Of Particular Significance
Not only are the cuts to science in the United States extreme, but the specific cuts are often profoundly wasteful| Of Particular Significance
Not only are the cuts to science in the United States extreme, but the specific cuts are often profoundly wasteful| Of Particular Significance
The Large Hadron Collider is a wonderful and exciting machine. But first things first — what’s a hadron??!! A hadron is any particle that is made from quarks, anti-quarks and gluons. …| Of Particular Significance
A post for general readers who’ve heard of quarks; if you haven’t, you might find this article useful: Yesterday I showed you that the usual argument that determines the electric charge…| Of Particular Significance
A post for general readers who’ve heard of quarks; if you haven’t, try reading here: The universe has six types of quarks, some of which are found in protons and neutrons, and thus thro…| Of Particular Significance
For readers who want to dig deeper; this is the second post of two, so you should read the previous one if you haven’t already. (Readers who would rather avoid the math may prefer this post.)…| Of Particular Significance
For non-expert readers who want to dig a bit deeper. This is the first post of two, the second of which is here. In my last post I described, for the general reader and without using anything more …| Of Particular Significance
9 posts published by Matt Strassler during August 2022| Of Particular Significance
If particles are entangled, it can be subtle to observe quantum interference, which (unlike usual wave interference) cannot be located in a specific place.| Of Particular Significance
For readers who want to go a bit deeper into details (though I suggest you read last week’s posts for general readers first [post 1, post 2]): Last week, using just addition and subtraction o…| Of Particular Significance
An example of quantum interference so simple that important questions about the origin of the interference can be investigated explicitly.| Of Particular Significance
A measurement requires a device with some important properties that I describe. I then focus on a simple intuitive quantum measurement device| Of Particular Significance
In 2025, a quantum centenary, I'll tackle quantum questions. To start: the (in)famous double-slit experiment, examined with very great care.| Of Particular Significance
This page is superseded: please check out the Higgs FAQ 3.0 instead. Matt Strassler [October 12, 2012; slightly updated July 2, 2022 and November 24, 2023] Here is the 2012 version of the Higgs FAQ…| Of Particular Significance
Predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics, improved by accounting for two key details, are shown to agree in detail with data| Of Particular Significance
Matt Strassler [May 31, 2013] In this article I want to discuss basic properties of the forces that we know about — four that we’ve actually observed, and a fifth — a new one R…| Of Particular Significance
Over the past 130 years, physicists have discovered that pretty much everything material, including rocks and rain, sun and sunshine, ocean waves and radio waves, can be described in terms of parti…| Of Particular Significance
A physicist takes us on an awe-inspiring journey from relativity to the Higgs field; the universe creates everything from what seems like nothing at all.| Of Particular Significance
Today I'll contrast the concepts of particle, wave and wavicle. Grasping the differences is crucial for anyone seeking an understanding of our universe.| Of Particular Significance
Its 50 years since the discovery that a quantum field theory, now known as #QCD, explains the strong nuclear force. Its key property, still lacking a definitive proof, is known as "#confinement''.| Of Particular Significance
A post for general readers: Within the Standard Model, the quarks (and anti-quarks) are my favorite particles, because they are so interesting and so diverse. Physicists often say, in their whimsic…| Of Particular Significance
A particle in a collapsing well is doomed, but a wavicle in such a well will escape. This fact has enormous implications for atomic and particle physics.| Of Particular Significance
A wave function describes an entire system and exists in a space of possibilities; it does not exist in real space, carries no energy, and cannot hurt you.| Of Particular Significance
Fusion: poster child for particle physics -- all 4 famous forces of nature play a role in making the Sun shine. 80 years after the 1st controlled nuclear *fission* reactor, *fusion* has its 1st good day on Earth. But power plants? How long til then?| Of Particular Significance
what are these wormholes that some claim to be trying to make or, at least, simulate? The Maldacena equivalence implies that an Einstein-Padolsky-Rosen entangled state of two quark/gluon/etc field theories without gravity, suitably chosen, is physically equivalent to an Einstein-Rosen bridge joining two suitable black holes in a string theory on an appropriately curved space with more space dimensions than the field theories have.| Of Particular Significance
