A singularity formed by a previous collapsed Universe? Multiple Universes? We just don’t know… YET What Caused It?

96% of our universe seems to be missing. We don’t know what it’s made from? Dark Matter? It seems to exist but scientists have no idea what it actually is. What Happened? AND How?

Scientists Believe They Can Look Back To You would have needed a microscope to see it! seconds after the moment of creation

What is this…?

What is it…? A theory of how the universe works. A description of how the fundamental particles that make up all matter interact with each other. 12 fundamental particles 4 fundamental forces

Fundamental Forces ForceRangeStrengthActs between: STRONG FORCE mStrongestQuarks ELECTROMAGNETICNo limitStronger than WFCharged objects WEAK FORCE mStronger than GFundamental Particles GRAVITYNo limitWeakestAll objects

Classification According to the SM, matter can be divided into 3 blocks: FERMIONS BOSONS HADRONS

Fermions Subatomic particles that make known matter and antimatter. Consists of QUARKS and LEPTONS. Found in the nuclei of atoms Mainly make up protons and neutrons Not found in nuclei e.g. electrons

Bosons Bosons are particles that carry forces. There are 4 known bosons: GLUON: strong force W & Z: weak force PHOTON: electromagnetic force, and operates over an infinite distance. THEORETICAL:GRAVITON: gravity, and operates over an infinite distance.

Hadrons Hadrons are composite particles made up of quarks, e.g. protons and neutrons. These can be found in the nucleus of an atom.

Large Hadron collider

What's All The Fuss About??? The LHC Was built to help scientists answer key questions May reveal some unexpected results

What Are these “Unresolved Questions”? 1) What is mass? What is the origin of mass? Why do tiny particles weigh the amount they do? Why do some particles have no mass at all? The most likely explanation could be the Higgs boson First hypothesized in 1964, It has yet to be observed.

An Invisible Problem... 2) What is 96% of the universe made of? Matter forms 4% of the Universe. The rest, Dark matter and dark energy? Investigating this 96% is one of the biggest challenges today in the fields of particle physics and cosmology.

Nature's Favoritism... 3) Why is there no more antimatter? Everything we see in the Universe is made of matter. Antimatter has opposite electric charge, but identical in every other way. At the birth of the Universe, more matter than antimatter was produced in the Big Bang. MATTER + ANITMATTER  ENERGY Why does Nature appear to have this bias for matter over antimatter?

Secrets of the Big Bang 4) What was matter like within the first second of the Universe’s life? Matter is believed to have originated from fundamental particles. Today, the composition of matter comes down to gluons. During the first microseconds after the Big Bang the Universe would have contained quark–gluon plasma.

Large Hadron Collider The world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. 38,000 tonnes 27 km ring of superconducting magnets Number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way 9300 magnets Trillions of protons racing around the LHC ring at over times a second. Traveling at 99.99% of the speed of light. 600 million collisions every second

What Goes On Inside??? Inside the accelerator, Two beams close to the speed of light Very high energies Beams travel in opposite directions Guided by a strong magnetic field. Chilling the magnets to about ‑ 271°C A temperature colder than outer space! Temperatures up to 1000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun!

The accelerator complex

When will it Launch? First need to cool the machine down to almost absolute zero If there is a problem with the machine can cause a delay of up to 3 months. LHC is on course for a start-up as early as this summer.

World Ending? Concerns about the safety of the high energy particle collisions. Overall no reasons for concern! Mini black holes Mini Big Bangs

The key to Mass

What Is Higgs? A few years ago scientists hit a problem, they could not explain how mass exists! They came up with the Higgs mechanism The Higgs mechanism is the unproven quantum phenomenon that gives massless particles mass.

The Higgs Field– a simple explanation Imagine a Hollywood party. In the beginning the people are evenly distributed in the room. When someone famous walks into the room the people are attracted to them. As the famous person moves through the room they gain momentum, this is an indication of mass. In this explanation the famous person is a particle and the people are the Higgs field.

The Higgs Particle– A Simple Explanation Imagine the same Hollywood party. In the beginning everyone is spread evenly in the room. Then someone starts a rumour at the door and a few people hear it and group together. As the rumour moves through the room it gains momentum and therefore it has gained mass. In this explanation the people in the room are Higgs Bosons

Higgs at the LHC If the Higgs exists, the LHC can transfer more than enough energy to detect it. Even if the Higgs is proven incorrect, the LHC will find something. Whatever the LHC finds will be revolutionary