What’s Beyond Protons & Neutrons?

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What is the most elementary particle? What is that thing which made up everything in the universe? These are the questions that has been raging on for millineas. Even the Greek asked what is the most elementary particle. Some said that there are four elementary particles: air, water, fire and the earth(land). While some said that everything is composed of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms.

Well, today we know a lot about the atoms. Currently, we have 118 known elements. At first, atoms are to be indivisible. But we know that atoms consist of neutrons, protons and electrons. For a long time, these three particles are thought to be the most fundamental building blocks.

But, physicists wanted a theory which can explain all the observed phenomena. Though the modern periodic table can explain the matter and its creation. It does not explain some of the following questions.

1. Why do some particles have mass and others don’t?

2. What are the forces? How do they interact?

So, physicists around the world went in search for the answer. In 1964, Murray Gell-Mann proposed the existence of quarks- a subatomic particle which are found in protons and neutrons. Indeed, protons and neutrons are made up of quarks. Protons are made up of two up and one down quark. While neutrons are made up of one up quark and two down quarks.

Now, let’s dive into the Standard Model of Particle Physics- the most complete theory we have currently to explaein the universe. That Standard Model of Particle Physics states that the particles that make up the universe are of three varieties – quarks, leptons and bosons. Quarks and leptons are the building blocks of all the matters while bosons are the force carrying particles. Quarks and leptons interact with bosons to make up everything we see in the universe except dark matter and dark energy.

In each of the three different groups – quarks, leptons and bosons, there are six different types of each of them except for bosons which has five different types ( the remaining particle is believed to be graviton, the hypothised particle for gravity).

There are six different types of quarks: up quark, down quark, charm quark, strange quark, top quark, bottom quark. Up and down quarks are found in protons and neutrons and is the lightest of them. The other four quarks are heavy compared to the two and they decay quickly.

Also, there are six different types of leptons: electrons, tau, muon, electron neutrino, tau neutrino, muon neutrino. Among them, electron is the most popularly known and the lightest lepton. The other two leptons ( tau and muon) are massive, with muon having mass about 200 times the mass of the electron. For the neutrinos, it is a different story. They are called ghostly particles and they can change their identity.

Lastly, there are five known bosons : photon, gluon, W boson, Z boson and the Higgs boson. Photon has no mass and it is an electromagnetic wave and it travels at the speed of light. It is the force carrying particle of electromagnetic force. Gluon is the force carrying particle of strong nuclear force. It has no mass and can travel at the speed of light. W and Z bosons are the force carrying particles of the weak nuclear force. The W boson has two types, W+ and W- for positively and negatively charged interactions. While the Z boson is an elementary neutral force carrying particle of the weak nuclear force. Lastly, the Higgs boson gives mass to other particles. It has no mass. By interacting with the Higgs boson, the particles gain mass. More interaction means more mass while less interaction means less mass.

So, these are the basics of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. And, since every group has six different types, the missing particle of the bosons is thought to be graviton, the hypothised particle carrying the force of gravity. I have simplified by saying graviton as the particle carrying the force of gravity but in reality, it is a lot more complicated. Gravity is caused by the warping or curvature of space-time. So graviton must be the quantised form of space-time.

Here is a visual of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.

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So it is it -the most complete theory we have now. This is just a basic understanding. There are more complicated and weird things happening between the particles. And that I will write in another blog.

Watch this video by Prof Don Lincoln, Fermilab if you want to know more:

This is it for today. I write fascinating blogs about science and other exciting topics today. So please visit my website everyday and learn amazing things.

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