The Standard Model: Our True Understanding Beyond Electrons

 When I was small, I was often asked the question – What is the smallest thing on earth? As I grew, my answers changed. They changed from molecules to atoms to neutron to electrons. Now in the recent months of my interest in particle physics, I have come quite a far way. I now have a greater understanding of our universe’s building blocks. Most of you might know that an electron is the smallest thing in the Universe. That is right and you have the answer right. Except, there are more particles having similar sizes compared to the electron. So today we are going to discuss the Standard Model of Particle Physics or just the Standard Model.

The Standard Model is a table of 17 objects which have created the Universe. Without these objects we won’t exist or the Universe. The Standard Model is divided into 2 categories

"Fermions" and  "Bosons"

I know, that you may sound confused reading this and you are absolutely fine to get confused.

1.   Fermions: 

Fermions are basically the building blocks of the universe. There quantum spin is an odd multiple of ½. There are 12 Fermions. Fermions are categorized into two parts. Quarks and Leptons. Since they are very advanced, we will only discuss their names.

(a)   Quarks – Quarks are the elementary particles of matter. There are 6 types of Quarks. They all have weird names:

1.          (i)   Up Quark – The Up Quark is the lightest of all Quarks. Two Up Quarks and a                  down Quark make a Proton.

2.          (ii)   Down Quark - The Down Quark is the second lightest of all Quarks. Two Down         Quarks and an Up Quark make a neutron.

3.          (iii)   Strange Quark – The Strange Quark is the third lightest Quark.

4.          (iv)   Charm Quark – Charm Quark is the third heaviest Quark.

5.          (v)   Bottom Quark – Bottom Quark is the second heaviest Quark.

6.          (vi)   Top Quark – Top Quark is the heaviest of all Quarks.

There is only advanced information about Quarks. Lets talk about Leptons. 

(b)   Leptons - Leptons are the second type of Fermions. There are 4 types of Leptons -

     (i)   Electron – An Electron is a negatively charged particle which revolves around the nucleus of an atom. Electrons are the lightest and smallest of all Fermions. Protons are 1836 times the mass of an electron. Electricity is the movement of electrons.

     (ii)   Tau – Tau particles are similar to the size of Electrons but way heavier. Tau is also a negatively charged particle.

     (iii)   Muon – A Muon has a size similar to that of an electron but many times heavier. Muons also are negatively charged.

     (iv)   Neutrinos – Neutrinos are extremely small and light particles. They are everywhere but are very hard to detect. Currently, billions of Neutrinos are passing through your body. There are 3 types of Neutrinos – Electron Neutrino, Tau Neutrino and Muon Neutrino. These three additional Neutrinos and the Quarks and Leptons make the Fermions.

2.   Bosons:

Bosons are made up of the particles of the four fundamental forces of the universe.

       (i)   Strong Nuclear Force – Strong Nuclear force is the strongest force in the                              Universe. This is the force present between Quarks. The force is only present when,               the Quarks are glued together. If the Quarks are not together, this force doesn’t                      work. The particle that glues the Quarks together using strong nuclear force is                      called a Gluon.

      (ii)   Electromagnetic Force – Electromagnetic force is the second strongest force. This               force caused by the physical attraction between electrically charged particles. Light               is an example of electromagnetic force. The particle that possesses the                                  electromagnetic force is called a photon.

      (iii)   Weak Nuclear Force – The weak nuclear force is the second weakest force. The                  weak nuclear force is responsible for the radioactive decay of atoms. The particles               which possess the weak nuclear force are the W and Z Bosons.

      (iv)   Gravity – Gravity is the attractive force between objects. Any object that has mass                has gravity. Gravity is the weakest force. Gravity has no particle that possesses it.                Although, scientists speculate a particle called the Graviton which possesses                           Gravity. Although the Graviton is currently not discovered.

      (v)   Higgs Boson – The Higgs Boson is a particle which is produced by the quantum                  excitement of the Higgs field. This particle has no spin or charge unlike the other                  Fermions and Bosons. The Higgs Boson is responsible for giving mass to every                  particle in existence.

Well these were the particles. Spoiler alert, you cannot see them using a microscope. Such particles are seen in particle colliders or accelerators. In particle accelerators two high powered beams are focused and these particles are seen. The largest particle collider is the Large Hadron Collider. It is located on the France – Switzerland border.

Well, that was the end of today’s article. Hopefully you liked it. Thank you for reading.