Intensity frontier of particle and nuclear physics

Article By:

de Gouvêa, André Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Last reviewed:2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB140251

The main goal of fundamental particle physics is to identify the basic building blocks of nature, understand their properties, and decipher how these building blocks, generically referred to as particles, interact with one another. The ultimate goal is to reveal the most basic laws of physics, which, in principle, would allow us to get as close as possible to understanding how, in principle, everything works. We are, of course, very far away from getting anywhere close to this goal, which may or may not be achievable. However, over the last century or two, this pursuit has led to many paradigm-shifting surprises, a deeper understanding of nature, and fantastic achievements, from the discovery of atoms, electrons, nuclei, and quarks, to the development of quantum mechanics, personal computers, and nuclear power plants, to revealing the secrets of how stars burn and how the universe looked almost 14 billion years ago.

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