Another window on ‘new physics’ closes
The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory that has been pieced together over the last 40 years after careful experiments. It accurately predicts the behaviour of various subatomic particles a…
particle physics
34 posts
A different kind of experiment at CERN
This article, as written by me, appeared in The Hindu on January 24, 2012. -- At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland, experiments are conducted by many scientists who d…
The strong CP problem: We're just lost
Unsolved problems in particle physics are just mind-boggling. They usually concern nature at either the smallest or the largest scales, and the smaller the particle whose properties you're trying…
Window for an advanced theory of particles closes further
A version of this article, as written by me, appeared in The Hindu on November 22, 2012. -- On November 12, at the first day of the Hadron Collider Physics Symposium at Kyoto, Japan, researchers pre…
Signs of a slowdown
The way ahead for particle physics seems dully lit after CERN's fourth-of-July firecracker. The Higgs announcement got everyone in the physics community excited - and spurred a frenzied submission…
A dilemma of the auto-didact
If publishers could never imagine that there are people who could teach themselves particle physics, why conceive cheaper preliminary textbooks and ridiculously expensive advanced textbooks? Learning…
The Indian Bose in the universal boson
Read this article. Do you think Indians are harping too much about the lack of mention of Satyendra Nath Bose's name in the media coverage of the CERN announcement last week? The articles in Hind…
A simple overview of particle physics
(Click on the image for a larger size)…
Gunning for the goddamned: ATLAS results explained
Here are some of the photos from the CERN webcast yesterday (July 4, Wednesday), with an adjoining explanation of the data presented in each one and what it signifies. This first image shows the data…
So, is it going to be good news tomorrow?
As the much-anticipated lead-up to the CERN announcement on Wednesday unfolds, the scientific community is rife with many speculations and few rumours. In spite of this deluge, it may be that we could…