StarTalk Radio Why… Anything? With Harry Cliff
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Jan 21, 2025 Join CERN particle physicist Harry Cliff, author of 'How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch,' as he dives into the quantum mysteries of the universe. The conversation reveals the enigma of why there's more matter than antimatter, exploring fascinating concepts like CP violation and the significance of quarks. Cliff also discusses the Large Hadron Collider's role in unraveling dark matter and the mysteries of antimatter, sparking a whimsical view on how particle physics connects to our everyday lives.
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Standard Model and Its Limits
- The Standard Model of particle physics includes 17 fundamental particles: six quarks, three electron-like particles, three neutrinos, force carriers (photon, gluon, W and Z bosons), and the Higgs boson.
- This model is incomplete, as it doesn't account for dark matter, suggesting more undiscovered particles.
The Mystery of Dark Energy
- Dark energy's nature remains unknown, with one idea being vacuum energy—the energy in empty space after removing all particles.
- Calculating vacuum energy yields a result 10^120 times too large, implying the universe would be ripped apart if the theory were correct as is.
Particle Lifespan Measurement
- Harry Cliff measured a particle's lifespan to be one trillionth of a second during his PhD research.
- This duration, while seemingly short, is considered relatively long for certain particle types; most decay much faster.
