1.2: A Timeline of Particle Physics
- Page ID
- 14997
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)| Year | Experiment | Theory |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | \(\beta\) decay discovered | |
| 1928 | Paul Dirac: Wave equation for electron | |
| 1930 | Wolfgang Pauli suggests existence of neutrino | |
| 1931 | Positron discovered | |
| 1931 | Paul Dirac realises that positrons are part of his equation | |
| 1931 | Chadwick discovers neutron | |
| 1933/4 | Fermi introduces theory for \(\beta\) decay | |
| 1933/4 | Hideki Yukawa discusses nuclear binding in terms of pions | |
| 1937 | \(\mu\) discovered in cosmic rays | |
| 1938 | Baryon number conservation | |
| 1946 | \(\mu\) is not Yukawa’s particle | |
| 1947 | \(\pi^{+}\) discovered in cosmic rays | |
| 1946-50 | Tomonaga, Schwinger and Feynman develop QED | |
| 1948 | First artificial \(\pi\)’s | |
| 1949 | \(K^{+}\) discovered | |
| 1950 | \(\pi^{0}\rightarrow \gamma\gamma\) | |
| 1951 | ”V-particles” \(\Lambda^{0}\) and \(K^{0}\) | |
| 1952 | \(\Delta\): excited state of nucleon | |
| 1954 | Yang and Mills: Gauge theories | |
| 1956 | Lee and Yang: Weak force might break parity! | |
| 1956 | CS Wu and Ambler: Yes it does. | |
| 1961 | Eightfold way as organising principle | |
| 1962 | \(\nu_{\mu}\) and \(\nu_{e}\) | |
| 1964 | Quarks (Gell-man and Zweig) \(u,d,s\) | |
| 1964 | Fourth quark suggested (\(c\)) | |
| 1965 | Colour charge all particles are colour neutral! | |
| 1967 | Glashow-Salam-Weinberg unification of electromagnetic and weak interactions. Predict Higgs boson. | |
| 1968-69 | DIS at SLAC constituents of proton seen! | |
| 1973 | QCD as the theory of coloured interactions. Gluons. | |
| 1973 | Asymptotic freedom | |
| 1974 | \(J/\psi\) (\(c\bar c\)) meson | |
| 1976 | \(D0\) meson (\(\bar u c\)) confirms theory. | |
| 1976 | \(\tau\) lepton! | |
| 1977 | b (bottom quark). Where is top? | |
| 1978 | Parity violating neutral weak interaction seen | |
| 1979 | Gluon signature at PETRA | |
| 1983 | \(W^{\pm}\) and \(Z^{0}\) seen at CERN | |
| 1989 | SLAC suggests only three generations of (light!) neutrinos | |
| 1995 | t (top) at 175 GeV mass | |
| 1997 | New physics at HERA (200 GeV) |