Kõrgenergiapüüsika

Kõrgenergiapüüsika, also known as high-energy physics or particle physics, is a branch of physics that studies the fundamental constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them. It seeks to answer questions about the basic building blocks of the universe and the forces that govern their behavior. Researchers in this field investigate subatomic particles such as quarks, leptons (like electrons and neutrinos), and bosons (like photons and gluons), as well as their properties like mass, spin, and charge.

The primary tool of high-energy physics is the particle accelerator, a machine that speeds up subatomic particles to nearly the speed of light and then collides them. By analyzing the debris from these collisions, physicists can infer the existence and properties of new particles and test theoretical models. Experiments are often conducted at large facilities like CERN, home to the Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle accelerator ever built.

Key theoretical frameworks in high-energy physics include the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the known fundamental particles and three of the four fundamental forces (electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force). Physicists are also actively exploring physics beyond the Standard Model, seeking to explain phenomena such as dark matter, dark energy, and the hierarchy problem. Areas of active research include the search for supersymmetry, extra spatial dimensions, and a deeper understanding of gravity at the quantum level.