Elementary Particles and Fields and String Theory Commons^™

Searching For The Origins Of Matter, Joshua L. Barrow

Andrews Research Conference

The big bang and inflation are experimentally confirmed by multitudes of astronomical observations, yet theoretical tension still exists upon a very important question: why is there something rather than nothing? In other words, why are there unequal amounts of matter and antimatter? Why did a supposedly initially symmetric state not annihilate perfectly?

The breaking of this symmetry has allowed for all of material existence--also known as baryogenesis, the prevalence of matter over antimatter--and yields the theoretical possibility of direct detection by observation of baryon number violating mechanisms, which have previously never been observed.

One such plausible mechanism can be found …

Session E-4: What's Up With The Higgs Boson? Teaching Particle Physics In High School, Peter Dong

Professional Learning Day

Best-selling books, popular PBS specials, and multi-billion-dollar machines all attest to the fascination with particle physics - including many teenagers. Physics and physical science classes can capitalize on this interest by talking about high-profile results, such as last summer's Higgs Boson Discovery. This session will answer some basic questions about contemporary particle physics and suggest some ideas for lessons and projects in particle physics.