Particle seen switching between matter and antimatter at CERN

A subatomic particle has been found to switch between matter and antimatter, according to Oxford physicists analyzing data from the Large Hadron Collider. It turns out that an unfathomably tiny weight difference between two particles could have saved t… Continue reading Particle seen switching between matter and antimatter at CERN

Something’s Up in Switzerland: Explaining the B Meson News from the Large Hadron Collider

Particle physics is a field of extremes. Scales always have 10really big number associated. Some results from the Large Hadron Collider Beauty (LHCb) experiment have recently been reported that are …read more Continue reading Something’s Up in Switzerland: Explaining the B Meson News from the Large Hadron Collider

CERN’s powerful new linear accelerator fires up ahead of LHC upgrade

After an almost two-year shutdown for repairs and upgrades, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is beginning to fire back up for its next phase of probing the mysteries of physics. Its newest particle accelerator, Linac 4, completed its first test run o… Continue reading CERN’s powerful new linear accelerator fires up ahead of LHC upgrade

Higgs boson examined as source of dark matter at the LHC

It’s been calculated that dark matter is around five times more common than regular matter – and yet, we still haven’t directly detected it. Many different types of experiments are trying to find it, and now CERN has joined the hunt, testing whether th… Continue reading Higgs boson examined as source of dark matter at the LHC

The Large Hadron Collider will soon help heat nearby homes

Particle accelerators like CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have made some groundbreaking discoveries for physics, like measuring the spectrum of antimatter or discovering the Higgs boson – but it’s hard to tell how exactly that benefits th… Continue reading The Large Hadron Collider will soon help heat nearby homes

The Future Circular Collider: Can it Unlock Mysteries of the Universe?

In the early 1990s, I was lucky enough to get some time on a 60 MeV linear accelerator as part of an undergraduate lab course. Having had this experience, I can feel for the scientists at CERN who have had to make do with their current 13 TeV accelerator, which only manages energies some 200,000 times larger. So, I read with great interest when they announced the publication of the initial design concept for the Future Circular Collider (FCC), which promises collisions nearly an order of magnitude more energetic. The plan, which has been in the  works since 2014, includes …read more

Continue reading The Future Circular Collider: Can it Unlock Mysteries of the Universe?

CERN’s New Collider Design Is Four Times Larger Than the LHC

If built, the Future Circular Collider will be 10 times more powerful than the Large Hadron Collider, and could discover new types of particles. Continue reading CERN’s New Collider Design Is Four Times Larger Than the LHC

Mysterious Cosmic Rays Shooting from the Ground in Antarctica Could Break Physics

NASA went searching for micro black holes in Antarctica. Instead, it detected cosmic rays shooting from the ground and some physicists think it could be evidence of a supersymmetric particle. Continue reading Mysterious Cosmic Rays Shooting from the Ground in Antarctica Could Break Physics