This is your informal guide to the subatomic ecosystem we’re all immersed in. In this series, we explore the taxa of particle species and how they interact with one another. Our aim is give us all a better foundation for understanding our place in the universe. The guide starts with a host of different particle species. We’ll talk about their masses, charges and interactions with other particles. We’ll talk about how they are created, how they decay, and what other particles they might be made of.
https://pasayten.org/the-field-guide-to-particle-physics
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 6 hours 1 minute
The Guide to the Field Guide to Particle Physics
The guide starts with a host of different particle species. We’ll talk about their masses, charges and interactions with other particles. We’ll talk about how they are created, how they decay, and what other particles they might be made of. Before we begi
The Alpha Particle : Part 1 : Helium
The Alpha Particle Mini-Series begins with a discussion of Helium gas. What on EARTH does Helium have to do with particle physics?
The Alpha Particle : Part 2 : The Helium Shortage
Helium is at scale used for all kinds of industrial purposes, including superconducting magnets! We explore these example, and describe where on Earth Helium comes from. Finally we review the recent history of government policy and the commodities market
The Alpha Particle : Part 3 : Binding Energy
Where does Helium come from? We finally explore this question, which becomes a discussion of nuclear physics and radioactivity.
The Alpha Particle : Part 4 : Inside the Earth
Finally, we answer the question: What on EARTH does Helium have to do with Particle Physics
The Alpha Particle : Part 5 : The Solar Wind
Forget the Earth. This time we see how the production of helium via alpha decays powers a force field that surrounds and protects the Earth... and us.
episode 1: The Atomic Nucleus
We are made of molecules, and molecules are made of atoms, and atoms are really, really small. Atoms are so small that its hard for our minds to comprehend it, but if you need a reference point take your height and divide it by a billion. Or maybe ten bil
episode 2: The Electron Cloud
Atoms are modeled by a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud. We’ve discussed the nucleus earlier; it’s the hard center of the atom. It’s really, really small, as small as a speck of dust in the middle of a baseball stadium. Despite that fact, the nucle
episode 3: The Photon
Light is made up of particles: quirky, counterintuitive particles, but particles nonetheless. This fact was a surprise, and is still difficult to internalize, because light is also made up of electromagnetic waves. We call particles of light photons. Phot
episode 4: The Electron
The electron is arguably the most famous of the elementary particles. They are the business end of the atom, and their dynamics give rise to virtually all of chemistry. They’re also the basic working particle of electricity, and their presence or absence