subatomic particle

Table of Contents

Introduction
Basic concepts of particle physics
- The divisible atom
- Size
- Elementary particles
- Spin
- Antiparticles
- Four basic forces
- Field theory
The basic forces and their messenger particles
- Gravity
- Electromagnetism
- The weak force
- The strong force
Classes of subatomic particles
- Leptons and antileptons
  - Charged leptons (electron, muon, tau)
  - Neutral leptons (neutrino)
- Hadrons
  - Stable and resonant hadrons
  - Baryons and mesons
- Quarks and antiquarks
The development of modern particle theory
- Quantum electrodynamics: Describing the electromagnetic force
- Quantum chromodynamics: Describing the strong force
  - The nuclear binding force
  - “Strangeness”
  - SU(3) symmetry
  - The development of quark theory
  - Colour
  - Asymptotic freedom
- Electroweak theory: Describing the weak force
  - Beta decay
  - A universal weak force
  - Early theories
  - Hidden symmetry
  - Finding the messenger particles
Current research in particle physics
- Experiments
  - Testing the Standard Model
  - Testing supersymmetry
  - Investigating neutrinos
  - Linking to the cosmos
- Theory
  - Limits of quantum chromodynamics and the Standard Model
  - Toward a grand unified theory
  - A theory of everything

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Large Hadron Collider

Understanding John Dalton's atomic theory of matter

Rutherford atomic model

Know about the properties and ways to detect neutrinos

Learn about antimatter and its properties, and understand the annihilation of matter and antimatter

electrons and positrons in a bubble chamber

Understanding Newton's theory of universal gravitation

electromagnetic spectrum

Understand the uncertainty principle as defined by the properties of waves

proton-antiproton collision

meson in a bubble chamber

Werner Heisenberg

Murray Gell-Mann

hadrons from quark and antiquark combinations

matter-energy content of the universe

Understanding Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in subatomic particles

For Students

gamma ray

subatomic particle summary

subatomic particle: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

Large Hadron Collider

Rutherford atomic model

electrons and positrons in a bubble chamber

electromagnetic spectrum

proton-antiproton collision

meson in a bubble chamber

Werner Heisenberg

Murray Gell-Mann

Understanding John Dalton's atomic theory of matter

Know about the properties and ways to detect neutrinos

Learn about antimatter and its properties, and understand the annihilation of matter and antimatter

Understanding Newton's theory of universal gravitation

Understand the uncertainty principle as defined by the properties of waves

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

squark slepton selectron photino wino gravitino gluino drift associated production gauge boson star chemical element universe nanoparticle planet molecule radiation astronomy chemical bonding principles of physical science

Key People

Walther Bothe

German physicist

Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi

Italian-American physicist

J.J. Thomson

J.J. Thomson

British physicist

J. Robert Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer

American physicist

Wolfgang Pauli, 1945.

Wolfgang Pauli

American physicist

Chen Ning Yang

Chen Ning Yang

American physicist

Murray Gell-Mann

Murray Gell-Mann

American physicist

Richter, Burton; Perl, Martin Lewis; Goldhaber, Gerson

Martin Lewis Perl

American physicist

Yukawa Hideki at Columbia University, 1949.

Yukawa Hideki

Japanese physicist

Martinus J.G. Veltman

Dutch physicist

Donald A. Glaser

American physicist

Tsung-Dao Lee

Tsung-Dao Lee

Chinese-American physicist

Hooft, Gerardus 't

Gerardus ’t Hooft

Dutch physicist

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz

Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi at work in the wireless room of his yacht Electra, c. 1920.

All About Physics Quiz

Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.

Physics and Natural Law