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Particle physics

From the Standard Model to the Large Hadron Collider and from quantum physics to the Higgs boson, read about the latest discoveries in particle physics here.

Related topics: The Big Bang theory, Black holes, Dark matter

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The gravitational constant can be used to calculate the gravitational pull between two objects. An illustration of the gravitational fields of the Earth and Moon distorting the fabric of space-time.

What is the gravitational constant?

By Keith Cooper last updated 21 September 22

Reference What is the gravitational constant, how do scientists measure it, and is it really constant or can it change across time and space?

collage shows einstein, galileo, the microscope satellite and experiment, and the leaning tower of pisa

Einstein's theory of general relativity just passed its most rigorous test yet

By Robert Lea published 14 September 22

Scientists have demonstrated that Einstein's theory of general relativity is correct to a remarkable degree of accuracy, despite having been around for more than a century.

An illustration of nuclear fission on the atomic level depicting atomic nuclei being split apart.

What is nuclear fission?

By Robert Lea last updated 21 September 22

Reference Nuclear fission is the process of breaking large atomic nuclei into smaller atomic nuclei to release a large amount of energy.

The Standard Model of physics is the theory of particles, fields and the fundamental forces that govern them. An illustration of the structure inside an atom.

What is the Standard Model?

By Keith Cooper last updated 22 September 22

Reference The Standard Model of Physics is the theory of particles, fields and the fundamental forces that govern them.

Stars, like our sun, are powered by nuclear fusion.

What is nuclear fusion?

By Robert Lea last updated 21 September 22

Reference Nuclear fusion is the process of forcing together two light atomic nuclei and creating a heavier one, in the process taking a tiny amount of matter and turning it into massive amounts of energy.

An illustration of two bosons produced by colliding two protons.

What are bosons?

By Robert Lea last updated 21 September 22

Reference Bosons are at the heart of interactions between matter, carry the universe's fundamental forces, and help the constituents of matter stick together.

An illustration shows trapped ytterbium atoms cooled to temperatures about 3 billion times colder than deep space

Scientists create coldest matter in the universe in a lab

By Robert Lea published 8 September 22

Scientists are making the coldest matter in the universe, chilling below the temperature of deep space and just above absolute zero.

Large Hadron Collider scientists hail most powerful collisions ever as detector gets back to work

By Elizabeth Howell published 6 July 22

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is back with more powerful collisions than ever before and scientists are thrilled to see what they can learn.

The Large Hadron Collider returns in the hunt for new physics

By Keith Cooper published 5 July 22

Switched back on for its third observing run, the LHC will chase down sterile neutrinos, dark matter and deviations from the Standard Model of particle physics.

A ring of dark matter (seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in false color), its location inferred from its gravity, around the galaxy cluster ZwCl0024+1652, which is 5 billion light years away.

Could the Large Hadron Collider discover dark matter?

By Keith Cooper published 4 July 22

With the switching back on after a three-year hiatus, CERN's Large Hadron Collider turns its sights toward shedding light on the mysterious dark matter.

The Large Hadron Collider occupies a circular underground tunnel nearly 17 miles (27 kilometers) in circumference.

The Large Hadron Collider: Inside CERN's atom smasher

By Andrew May, Daisy Dobrijevic published 27 June 22

Reference The Large Hadron Collider is the world's biggest particle accelerator. It's located at the European particle physics laboratory CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland.

The eight toroid magnets of the ATLAS detector at CERN.

Large Hadron Collider's operator will end cooperation with Russia in 2024

By Tereza Pultarova published 17 June 22

CERN will cease all cooperation with Russia and Belarus in 2024 in response to Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

Large Hadron Collider finds new way to measure mass of a quark

By Keith Cooper last updated 1 November 22

The LHC's ALICE experiment detected a 'dead cone' in the aftermath of a proton-proton collision, paving the way for the direct measurement of the mass of a quark.

A data visualization of particle collisions at the LHC at CERN.

Large Hadron Collider experiment investigates neutrino's minuscule mass

By Chelsea Gohd last updated 7 May 22

Scientists are investigating the elusive neutrino with a new experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

An illustration of hypothetically interacting dark matter particles. As we anticipate Run 3 with the LHC at Cern in 2022, scientists look forward to exploring the universe's biggest mysteries, including dark matter.

10 cosmic mysteries the Large Hadron Collider could unravel

By Chelsea Gohd last updated 15 May 22

What mysteries of the universe could the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator unlock?

The Large Hadron Collider restarted after a three-year shutdown on April 22, 2022.

Large Hadron Collider hits world record proton acceleration

By Chelsea Gohd published 25 April 22

The newly-upgraded Large Hadron Collider just broke a world record with its proton beams.

Large Hadron Collider restarts to push physics to the edge

By Tariq Malik published 24 April 22

Scientists restarted the Large Hadron Collider on April 22 to hunt for dark matter and fringe physics.

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland.

The Large Hadron Collider is about to turn back on after a 3-year hiatus

By Chelsea Gohd published 21 April 22

The world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator is about to turn back on.

The Large Hadron Collider will explore the cutting edge of physics after 3-year shutdown

By Chelsea Gohd last updated 5 March 22

Scientists are gearing up to once more push the boundaries of the cutting edge of particle physics with the reopening of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN after a three-year shutdown.