Skip to content

Archive

Tag: particle physicist
The twin child of the Big Bang (October 9 2012) The twin child of the Big Bang (October 9 2012)

Frank Close the 67 year old British particle physicist, Professor and author has published an article in the Prospect Magazine titled ‘The twin child of the Big Bang’ discussing the first moments of the universe, how we may soon find out why matter overpowered antimatter, its mirror opposite. Close states “…We know how the energy in the heat of the Big Bang created the basic seeds of matter, and how over the eons these particles have formed galaxies of stars, including our own Milky Way and solar system. …Matter is not the Big Bang’s only child. It was born with a long-lost twin: antimatter. Matter and antimatter are the yin and yang of reality. … When the energy of the Big Bang congealed into the fundamental particles of matter, an imprint in the form of metaphorical holes, their antimatter siblings, was also formed. …Experiments have shown that quarks are the basic seeds of matter as we know it. There are also exotic forms of matter, containing what are known as strange, charm or bottom quarks, which rarely exist independently, except under very special conditions, such as briefly during or just after the Big Bang. They are unstable and their decays produce the stable forms from which our mature universe is made. …tantalising results are beginning to emerge. As data accumulate, the experiments at Cern will reveal sharper images of the processes at work in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang. Why the Big Bang happened is likely to remain an enigma. Why the universe managed to survive, and evolve, may soon be answered.”

 

Inspired by Prospect Magazine ow.ly/ebfN3 image source ow.ly/ebfdR

Brian Edward Cox the 43 year old UK particle physicist and best known to the public as the presenter of science programs for the UK broadcaster BBC, has been credited in an article by Steve Connor with exhibiting a ‘Brian Cox effect’. Connor states “It was the year we saw an unprecedented turnaround in the popularity of science – especially the harder physical sciences – among A-level students. Exam boards marveled at the increase in the number of teenagers who want to study the notoriously difficult subjects of physics and maths. There could be only one explanation: the Brian Cox effect. With his floppy hair, youthful smile and telegenic good looks, Professor Brian Cox is living proof that you don’t need to be bald with bad teeth to be a boffin. His [2nd tv series] … drew in a young audience, demonstrating that the traditionally nerdy subject of physics is actually quite cool.

 

Inspired by Steve Connor http://ow.ly/8lKRy image source Bob Lee http://ow.ly/8lKXv

Rss Feed Tweeter button Facebook button Technorati button Reddit button Myspace button Linkedin button Delicious button Digg button Flickr button Stumbleupon button Newsvine button Youtube button