Big Bang Day - Five Particles

Episodes

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01The Electron2008090820101011 (R4)Simon Singh examines the significance of five subatomic particles in five programmes In the first programme he tells the story of the discovery of the electron.

Just over a century ago, British physicist J.J. Thomson experimenting with electric currents and charged particles inside empty glass tubes, showed that atoms are divisible into indivisible elementary particles. But how could atoms be built up of these so called 'corpuscles'? An exciting 30 year race ensued, to grasp the planetary model of the atom with its orbiting electrons, and the view inside the atom was born. Whilst the number of electrons around the nucleus of an atom determines the chemistry of all elements, the power of electrons themselves has been harnessed for everyday use: electron beams for welding,cathode ray tubes and radiation therapy.

Producer Adrian Washbourne.

Simon Singh on the significance of five subatomic particles, starting with the electron.

02The Quark2008090920101012 (R4)Simon Singh examines the significance of five subatomic particles 2) The Quark.

Three Quarks for Master Mark! Sure he hasn't got much of a bark.' James Joyce's Finnegans Wake left its mark on modern physics when physicist Murray Gell Mann proposed this name for a group of hypothetical subatomic particles that were revealed in 1960 as the fundamental units of matter. Basic particles, such as protons and neutrons, it seems, are made up of even more basic units called quarks that make up 99.9% of visible material in the universe. But why do we know so little about them? Quarks have never been seen as free particles. They are inextricably bound together by the Strong Force that in turn holds the atomic nucleus together. This is the hardest of Nature's fundamental forces to crack, but recent theoretical advances mean that the properties of the quark are at last being revealed.

Producer: Adrian Washbourne.

Quarks comprise virtually all visible material, but why do we know so little about them?

03The Antiparticle2008091020101013 (R4)Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of five of the universe's most significant subatomic particles. 3) The Antiparticle.

It appears to be the stuff of science fiction. Associated with every elementary particle is an antiparticle which has the same mass and opposite charge. Should the two meet and combine, the result is annihilation - and a flash of light. Thanks to mysterious processes that occurred after the Big Bang there are a vastly greater number of particles than anti-particles. So how could their elusive existence be proved? At CERN particle physicists are crashing together subatomic particles at incredibly high speeds to create antimatter, which they hope will finally reveal what happened at the precise moment of the Big Bang to create the repertoire of elementary particles and antiparticles in existence today.

Producer: Adrian Washbourne.

Every particle has an antiparticle. Should the two combine, the result is annihilation.

04The Neutrino2008091120101014 (R4)Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of five of the universe's most significant subatomic particles. 4) The Neutrino.

It's the most populous particle in the universe. Millions of these subatomic particles are passing through each one of us. With no charge and virtually no mass they can penetrate vast thicknesses of matter without any interaction - indeed the sun emits huge numbers that pass through earth at the speed of light. Neutrinos are similar to the more familiar electron, with one crucial difference: neutrinos do not carry electric charge. As a result they're extremely difficult to detect . But like H G WELLS' invisible man they can give themselves away by bumping into things at high energy and detectors hidden in mines are exploiting this to observe these rare interactions. But they can give themselves away by bumping into things at high energy, and detectors hidden in mines are exploiting this to see inside stars for the very first time

Producer: Adrian Washbourne

Producer Adrian Washbourne.

The most common particle in the universe continuously passes through each of us.

05 LASTThe Next Particle2008091220101015 (R4)Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of five of the universe's most significant subatomic particles. 5) The Next Particle.

The 'sparticle' - a super symmetric partner to all the known particles could be the answer to uniting all the known particles and their interactions under one grand theoretical pattern of activity. But how do researchers know where to look for such phenomena and how do they know if they find them? A whole repertoire of particles could be detected with the new Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva. Simon Singh concludes his series looking at how the discovery of super symmetric particles could rewrite the physics books and help in completing physics' Grand Theory of Everything.

Producer Adrian Washbourne.

A symmetric partner to all the known particles could provide the key to understanding them