The History of Particle Physics

By Mokore
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    The History of Particle Physics

  • Discovery of the Electron - J. J. Thompson

    Discovery of the Electron - J. J. Thompson
    • Discovered by J. J. Thompson while conducting experiments with cathode rays in a vacuum tube
    • Initially he thought that the particles he had observed were a form of electromagnetic wave rather than a particle
    • This discovery paved the way for further research into the structure of atoms and the behaviour of subatomic particles

  • Discovery of Isotopes - Frederick Soddy

    Discovery of Isotopes - Frederick Soddy
    • Initially proposed by Frederick Soddy in 1913
    • Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, resulting in different atomic masses
    • Today, isotopes are used in a wide range of fields, from medicine and industry to geology and environmental science

  • Discovery of the Proton - Ernest Rutherford

    Discovery of the Proton - Ernest Rutherford
    • Discovered by Ernest Rutherford during his experiments on the scattering of alpha particles by matter
    • The name "proton" comes from the Greek word "protos," which means "first," reflecting the fact that the proton is the first and most abundant particle in the atomic nucleus
    • The mass of the proton is approximately 1,836 times that of the electron, making it one of the heaviest particles in the atomic nucleus

  • Discovery of the Neutron - James Chadwick

    Discovery of the Neutron - James Chadwick
    • Discovered by James Chadwick
    • The name "neutron" comes from the Latin word "neutro," which means "neither,"
    • This discovery helped to establish the field of nuclear science, which studies the behaviour of atomic nuclei and the particles that make them up

  • Discovery of the Positron - Carl Anderson

    Discovery of the Positron - Carl Anderson
    • Initially proposed by Paul Dirac in 1928 after his work on relativistic quantum mechanics led him to predict the existence of a particle with the same mass as the electron but with a positive charge
    • Later officially discovered by Carl Anderson in 1932
    • The positron is the antiparticle of the electron, meaning that it has the same mass as the electron but with a positive charge instead of a negative charge

  • Discovery of the Antiproton - Owen Chamberlain

    Discovery of the Antiproton - Owen Chamberlain
    • Initially proposed by Paul Dirac in 1933 after his work on relativistic quantum mechanics
    • Officially discovered by Owen Chamberlain in 1955
    • The antiproton is the antiparticle of the proton, meaning that it has the same mass as the proton but with a negative charge instead of a positive charge

  • The Hadron Collider

    The Hadron Collider
    • Initially proposed in the 1980s as a way to study the behaviour of subatomic particles and to test theories in particle physics
    • Construction of the LHC began in 1998, and it took nearly a decade to complete
    • The LHC consists of a circular tunnel that houses two high-energy particle beams that are made to collide with each other at close to the speed of light