MSNBC: Particle collider comes close to the big bang on a small scale
Posted by Physics Today on September 8, 2008 2:37 PM|Permalink
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Some of the particles that might be created with the LHC not only include the Higg(s) boson(s) of which there may be more than one version, but also as specific examples, particles referred to as super-symmetric particles. These particles include even integer multiples of 1/2 a unit of quantum spin such as squarks, sleptons, snuetrinos.
For those who are unfamiliar with the standard model, there are 6 types of quarks or flavors. The are the up and down quarks which make up protons and neutrons; the strange and charmed quarks wherein the strange quarks might comprise stable or metastable composite particles known as strangelets or quark nuggets, and the top and bottom quarks, the top quark being the most massive quark with a rest mass about a high as that of the Gold atom.
The leptons come in three families; the electron and the electron neutrino, the muon and the muon neutrino, and the tau particle and the tau neutrino. All of the leptons come in antimatter versions.
The phrase slepton referrs to super-symmetric partners to the known leptons thus the beginning the word slepton with the letter s. Likewise, the name squarks is given to denote super-symmetric partners to the known quarks.
In addition to the bosonic even integer multiple of one half unit of quantum spin that the sleptons and squarks theoretically have, there are theoretical particles called gluinos, photinos, gravitinos and the counterparts to the W+, W-, and the Z naught bosons which carry the weak force responsible for certain forms of radioactive decay. These particles have an odd integer multiple of 1/2 unit of quantum spin and are referred to as fermions just as the quarks and leptons are fermions also. The gluino, photino, gravatino, and the super-symmetric counterparts of the W+, W-, and Znaught are respectively: the fermionic partners of the 3 forms of gluons known as the 3 colors of gluons (not to be mistaken for actual color as we see it); the fermionic partner of the electromagnetic photon; the fermionic counterpart to a still theoretical particle known as the graviton or the force carrying quanta of gravity; and the fermionic counterparts of the weak force Bosons. In addition, super symmetry suggests that the super-symmetric partner(s) to the Higgs boson(s) should exist such as the Higgino(s). Antimatter versions of Higginos would in theory also exist as well as all versions of the super-symmetric fermions described above in this paragraph.
Other particles that might be created include glue balls or bound states of gluons. Note that the strong nuclear force carrying particles known as gluons act in a non-linear manner that is difficult to model computationally and interact with each other in the sticky type fashion, thus the reason why bound states of gluons adhering to each other have been proposed to exist.
Other forms of particles that might be discovered are particles referred to theoretically as lepto-quarks which would have characteristics of both leptons and quarks.
It might even be possible that the LHC may uncover one or more additional forces or additional nuclear forces and a substructure or sub-composition to quarks in yet another level of sub-nuclear structure.
The production of strangelets also remains a possibility wherein some of these strangelets might be stable or meta stable, in other words having a relatively long half-life.
Note that super symmetry refers to another level of symmetry in particles and fields that is analogous in some ways to matter antimatter duality. In super-symmetry, for each fermion, the theoretically exists a super-symmetric boson, and for each boson, there theoretically exists a super-symmetric fermion.
Other than that, God only knows what will be discovered at the LHC.
Comments
Some of the particles that might be created with the LHC not only include the Higg(s) boson(s) of which there may be more than one version, but also as specific examples, particles referred to as super-symmetric particles. These particles include even integer multiples of 1/2 a unit of quantum spin such as squarks, sleptons, snuetrinos.
For those who are unfamiliar with the standard model, there are 6 types of quarks or flavors. The are the up and down quarks which make up protons and neutrons; the strange and charmed quarks wherein the strange quarks might comprise stable or metastable composite particles known as strangelets or quark nuggets, and the top and bottom quarks, the top quark being the most massive quark with a rest mass about a high as that of the Gold atom.
The leptons come in three families; the electron and the electron neutrino, the muon and the muon neutrino, and the tau particle and the tau neutrino. All of the leptons come in antimatter versions.
The phrase slepton referrs to super-symmetric partners to the known leptons thus the beginning the word slepton with the letter s. Likewise, the name squarks is given to denote super-symmetric partners to the known quarks.
In addition to the bosonic even integer multiple of one half unit of quantum spin that the sleptons and squarks theoretically have, there are theoretical particles called gluinos, photinos, gravitinos and the counterparts to the W+, W-, and the Z naught bosons which carry the weak force responsible for certain forms of radioactive decay. These particles have an odd integer multiple of 1/2 unit of quantum spin and are referred to as fermions just as the quarks and leptons are fermions also. The gluino, photino, gravatino, and the super-symmetric counterparts of the W+, W-, and Znaught are respectively: the fermionic partners of the 3 forms of gluons known as the 3 colors of gluons (not to be mistaken for actual color as we see it); the fermionic partner of the electromagnetic photon; the fermionic counterpart to a still theoretical particle known as the graviton or the force carrying quanta of gravity; and the fermionic counterparts of the weak force Bosons. In addition, super symmetry suggests that the super-symmetric partner(s) to the Higgs boson(s) should exist such as the Higgino(s). Antimatter versions of Higginos would in theory also exist as well as all versions of the super-symmetric fermions described above in this paragraph.
Other particles that might be created include glue balls or bound states of gluons. Note that the strong nuclear force carrying particles known as gluons act in a non-linear manner that is difficult to model computationally and interact with each other in the sticky type fashion, thus the reason why bound states of gluons adhering to each other have been proposed to exist.
Other forms of particles that might be discovered are particles referred to theoretically as lepto-quarks which would have characteristics of both leptons and quarks.
It might even be possible that the LHC may uncover one or more additional forces or additional nuclear forces and a substructure or sub-composition to quarks in yet another level of sub-nuclear structure.
The production of strangelets also remains a possibility wherein some of these strangelets might be stable or meta stable, in other words having a relatively long half-life.
Note that super symmetry refers to another level of symmetry in particles and fields that is analogous in some ways to matter antimatter duality. In super-symmetry, for each fermion, the theoretically exists a super-symmetric boson, and for each boson, there theoretically exists a super-symmetric fermion.
Other than that, God only knows what will be discovered at the LHC.
Posted by: James M. Essig | September 8, 2008 7:13 PM