>> JOINING US IS SALLY
SEIDEL.
SHE IS A PHYSICIST AND A
PROFESSOR AT UNM.
SO SALLY, TELL US ABOUT THIS
RESEARCH THAT YOU AND YOUR
TEAM ARE DOING IN LOOKING
FOR THIS ILLUSIVE PARTICLE.
>> WE'RE MEMBERS OF THE
ATLAS COLLABORATION AT THE
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER, WHICH
IS A LARGE EXPERIMENTAL
FACILITY IN GENEVA,
SWITZERLAND.
THE COLLIDER WAS BUILT TO
SEARCH FOR NEW PHYSICS, WHAT
WE CALL PHYSICS BEYOND THE
STANDARD MODEL.
ANYTHING THAT'S NOT YET BEEN
DISCOVERED, BUT MIGHT
EXPLAIN ONE OF THE
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS THAT
ARE OF INTEREST TO THE
MODERN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.
THE HIGGS BOSON IS POSITED
AS THE SOURCE OF MASS OF ALL
PARTICLES THAT HAVE MASS IN
THE UNIVERSE.
>> WHEN YOU SAY SOURCE OF
MASS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> MASS IS THE AMOUNT OF
STUFF IN AN OBJECT.
IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE WEIGHT
OF THE OBJECT.
HOW DOES THE HIGGS BOSON
GIVE MASS TO PARTICLES?
SUPPOSE THAT I HAVE A
PARTICLE MASS, AND I JUMP
INTO A SWIMMING POOL.
I FIND THAT WHEN I'M IN THE
POOL, IT'S MUCH HARDER TO
RUN BECAUSE OF THE
RESISTANCE OF THE WATER.
THE HIGGS PARTICLE IS
THOUGHT TO BE A CONDENSATE
OF A HIGGS FIELD THAT FILLS
ALL OF THE UNIVERSE, AND
THAT HIGGS FIELD INTERACTS
WITH PARTICLES TO SLOW THEM
DOWN IN THE SAME WAY THAT
THE WATER OF THE SWIMMING
POOL SLOWS ME DOWN IF I TRY
TO RUN.
SO WE THINK THAT THE HIGGS
FIELD INTERACTS WITH
PARTICLES IN THE SAME WAY.
IT PRODUCES SOME SORT OF
RESISTANCE, EFFECTIVELY,
THAT MAKES THEM BEHAVE AS
THOUGH THEY HAVE MASS.
>> SLIGHT DIFFERENCES COULD
MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
>> COULD MAKE ALL THE
DIFFERENCE.
>> SO MAYBE THAT'S WHY WE
HAVE TO BUILD THESE VERY
INTRICATE AND COMPLICATED
TECHNOLOGY, PIECES OF
TECHNOLOGY, TO UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING SO SMALL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
THE LARGER THE COLLIDER,
TYPICALLY THE HIGHER THE
ENERGY THAT IT CAN
ACCELERATE THE PARTICLES
WITH AS THEY ORBIT IN THE
TUNNEL.
THE DEEPER INTO THE CORE OF
A SYSTEM WE WANT TO PROBE,
THE MORE ENERGY WE NEED.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, SUPPOSE
THAT I HAD HERE A PEACH AND
WE WANTED TO KNOW, IS THERE
A PIT INSIDE THE PEACH?
IF I JUST GRAZE IT WITH MY
FINGER LIGHTLY, JUST A
LITTLE BIT OF ENERGY, I'LL
ONLY SENSE WHAT THE SURFACE
OF THE PEACH IS LIKE, AND IF
I POKE IT A LITTLE HARDER, I
MIGHT GET MY THUMB INTO THE
PEACH, BUT I HAVE TO USE A
LOT MORE ENERGY TO POKE ALL
THE WAY TO THE CORE OF THE
FRUIT IN ORDER TO FIND OUT
IF THERE'S A PIT.
SO THE MORE ENERGY THAT WE
NEED, THE LARGER THE
COLLIDER HAS TO BE.
AND WE'RE INTERESTED IN
UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S AT THE
VERY, VERY CORE OF A
FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLE.
>> IN EFFECT, THE BIGGER
THE COLLIDER, THE MORE
ACCELERATION.
>> SO THE REASON THAT WE
WANT A HIGH-ENERGY PROTON IS
BECAUSE WE WANT, WHEN THEY
COLLIDE, FOR THEM TO
COMPLETELY ANNIHILATE THE
TWO PROTONS THAT ARE
COLLIDING, AND THEY ARE
REPLACED BY THEIR EQUIVALENT
ENERGY.
THIS IS THE FAMOUS EQUATION
FROM EINSTEIN - E=MC2.
IT TELLS US THAT IF WE HAVE
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MASS, IT
CAN CONVERT IT INTO A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ENERGY.
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS
WE'RE GIVING THE UNIVERSE
THE OPPORTUNITY, THE
ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO
GO AHEAD AND PRODUCE
WHATEVER PARTICLES ARE
POSSIBLE.
AND SOMETIMES THOSE ARE
HIGGS BOSONS, SOMETIMES
THEY'RE OTHER FUNDAMENTAL
PARTICLES.
THE PARTICLES IN THE
COLLIDER COLLIDE EVERY 25
NANOSECONDS.
SO IF YOU BREAK A SECOND
DOWN INTO A BILLION PARTS,
ONE OF THOSE PARTS IS A
NANOSECOND.
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION IS PRODUCED AND
HAS TO BE RECORDED, SO WE
NEED AN EXTREMELY COMPLEX
AND ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY
ENORMOUS MULTI-STORY DEVICE,
SOME PEOPLE HAVE CALLED IT
THE WORLD'S MOST COMPLICATED
CAMERA, TO CAPTURE WHAT'S
PRODUCED IN THAT INSTANT.
SO THAT'S WHY THESE
EXPERIMENTS HAVE TO BE SO
LARGE AND COMPLEX, BECAUSE
SO MUCH INFORMATION IS
PRODUCED, AND IT'S PRODUCED
AT SUCH AN EXTREMELY HIGH
RATE.
THE PRODUCTION OF A HIGGS
PARTICLE DOESN'T HAPPEN
CONSTANTLY AT THE LARGE
HADRON COLLIDER, IT HAPPENS
RARELY.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE THE
CONDITIONS FOR IT AVAILABLE
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF
TIMES EVERY DAY IN ORDER TO
CAPTURE THE FEW OCCURRENCES
IN WHICH IT'S ACTUALLY
PRODUCED.
>> TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT UNM'S CONTRIBUTION.
>> WE USE WHAT ARE CALLED
SILICON TRACKING DETECTORS,
OR SILICON PIXEL DETECTORS.
THESE ARE SMALL SILICON
DEVICES, NOT SO DIFFERENT
FROM ONES THAT MIGHT BE
INSIDE YOUR WATCH, AND SOME
OF THE MEMBERS OF MY GROUP
ARE INVOLVED IN DESIGNING
THESE, DEVELOPING THEM,
TESTING THEM, TRAVELING TO
THE CERN LABORATORY AND
BUILDING THE EXPERIMENTS.
WE ARE COLLABORATING WITH
3,000 PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER
THE PLANET, FROM DOZENS OF
OTHER COUNTRIES.
IT'S A TRULY INTERNATIONAL
COLLABORATION.
>> IT JUST AMAZES ME.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT TAKES A
VILLAGE OF SCIENTISTS FROM
WHEREVER TO REALLY DISCOVER
SOMETHING NEW AND COOL LIKE
THIS.
>> WELL, IT'S A VERY NICE
OPPORTUNITY TO INVOLVE UNM
STUDENTS, UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENTS AS WELL AS GRADUATE
STUDENTS, IN ACTUALLY
DESIGNING AND CHARACTERIZING
DEVICES WHICH WILL THEN BE
USED TO TAKE THIS DATA IN
THIS WORLDWIDE EFFORT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
HAVE TO STUDY WHEN WE
DEVELOP THE SILICON
TECHNOLOGIES IS HOW WELL
THEY CAN WITHSTAND THE
RADIATION WHICH IS NATURALLY
PRODUCED AT THE CORE OF THE
ATLAS DETECTOR, RIGHT WHERE
THE COLLISIONS OCCUR.
SO BEFORE WE INSTALL THEM IN
ATLAS, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
THEIR RESPONSE TO EXTENSIVE
RADIATION.
AND IT TURNS OUT THAT SANDIA
AND LOS ALAMOS ARE EXCELLENT
PLACES TO DO CONTROLLED
EXPOSURES OF DETECTORS.
>> WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT
THAT.
>> SO WE HAVE DEVELOPED
SOME COLLABORATIONS WITH
SCIENTISTS AT SANDIA AND LOS
ALAMOS, AND THIS GIVES OUR
STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
DO EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES
RIGHT HERE IN NEW MEXICO,
NOT ONLY IN OUR LABORATORY
BUT ALSO IN COLLABORATION UP
AT THE LABS.
>> SO TELL US, IF YOU WILL,
WHAT'S IT LIKE ON A DAILY
BASIS COMMUNICATING WITH
CERN?
>> WE'RE IN NEAR CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION WITH OUR
COLLEAGUES AT CERN VIA THE
INTERNET.
WE HAVE AUDIO AND VIDEO
MEETINGS ALMOST AROUND THE
CLOCK.
>> WE'VE GOT YOUR GRAPH UP
HERE OF THE TRIGGER.
COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR
RESULTS FROM THIS WEEK?
>> THE COLLABORATION
INCLUDES INSTITUTES THAT
SPAN THE GLOBE.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO WAKE
UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT AND CONNECT TO A
MEETING TO TALK ABOUT
SCIENCE.
>> IS THIS MEANT TO BE
LONG-TERM?
WHEN CAN WE ACTUALLY EXPECT
TO SEE SOMETHING WITH THE
HIGGS BOSON?
>> SO, WE BEGAN DESIGNING
THIS EXPERIMENT IN 1995.
THE EXPERIMENT BEGAN TO TAKE
DATA IN 2009.
THE DATA THAT WERE ACTUALLY
USED FOR DISCOVERY OF THIS
HIGGS-LIKE PARTICLE WERE
TAKEN IN 2010 THROUGH 2012.
SO NOW WE HAVE AN INDICATION
THAT THIS PARTICLE EXISTS.
BUT TO CHECK WHETHER IT IS
ACTUALLY THE PARTICLE
PREDICTED BY THE HIGGS MODEL
REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING MANY
OF ITS PROPERTIES, AND
HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE
ACTUALLY STUDYING THE DATA
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND
WHETHER IT HAS THE SO-CALLED
SPIN, OR MASS PROPERTIES
THAT ONE WOULD EXPECT.
THE COLLIDER WILL CONTINUE
TO RUN THROUGH THIS COMING
FEBRUARY 2013, AND THEN IT
WILL SHUT DOWN FOR SOME
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, ABOUT
A YEAR, AND AFTER THAT IT
WILL COME BACK ONLINE AT A
HIGHER ENERGY AND WITH A
HIGHER RATE OF COLLISIONS SO
THAT WE CAN TAKE THE DATA
EVEN MORE EFFICIENTLY.
WE'RE SEARCHING FOR MANY
PROCESSES THAT ARE SO-CALLED
BEYOND THE STANDARD MODEL.
>> WITH THIS COLLIDER, THE
HIGGS BOSON?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
SO THE HIGGS BOSON IS VERY
INTERESTING, AND I'M REALLY
EXCITED TO HAVE BEEN IN SOME
WAY, A SMALL WAY, A PART OF
IT.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THERE IS.
SO THE COLLIDER WILL
CONTINUE TO TAKE DATA
PERHAPS FOR ANOTHER TEN OR
TWENTY YEARS, AND WE HOPE TO
HAVE MANY MORE DISCOVERIES.
SOME OF THEM MIGHT BE EVEN
MORE INTERESTING THAN HIGGS.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
FUTURE HOLDS NOW?
>> SOME PEOPLE FEEL THAT
PERHAPS THIS PARTICLE THAT
HAS BEEN DISCOVERED OPENS
THE DOOR TO NEW QUESTIONS
THAT ARE BEYOND THE STANDARD
MODEL.
PERHAPS THE PRECISE MASS OF
THIS PARTICLE IS ACTUALLY
INCONSISTENT WITH OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE
STANDARD MODEL, AND MAYBE WE
WILL NEED TO REVISIT THE
WHOLE MODEL.
AND THERE ARE OTHER
QUESTIONS THAT PHYSICISTS
ARE ALREADY VERY INTERESTED
IN.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS THE
QUESTION OF THE SO-CALLED
MATTER-ANTIMATTER ASYMMETRY
IN THE UNIVERSE.
THE QUESTION OF, WHY IS
THERE ONLY MATTER -- OUR
BODIES ARE MADE OF MATTER,
EVERYTHING AROUND US IS MADE
OF MATTER -- AND THERE
APPEARS TO BE ALMOST NO
ANTIMATTER IN THE UNIVERSE.
THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF
PHYSICS, QUANTUM FIELD
THEORY, PREDICT THAT THERE
SHOULD BE AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF
MATTER AND ANTIMATTER.
WHEN WE COLLIDE THE
PARTICLES AT THE LARGE
HADRON COLLIDER, AN EQUAL
AMOUNT OF MATTER AND
ANTIMATTER ARE PRODUCED.
>> INTERESTING.
>> SO ONE WOULD THINK THAT
AT THE DAWN OF THIS
UNIVERSE, AT THE BIG BANG,
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN AN
EQUAL AMOUNT OF MATTER AND
ANTIMATTER, AND ALL OF THE
ANTIMATTER SEEMS TO HAVE
DISAPPEARED.
WHERE DID IT GO?
IT'S A BIG PUZZLE.
WHY IS THERE THE SO-CALLED
ASYMMETRY?
WE'RE ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN
STUDYING SYSTEMS THAT ARE
BOUND STATES OF HEAVY
QUARKS.
THOSE CAN BE USED TO
UNDERSTAND THE STRONG FORCE.
THERE ARE FOUR FUNDAMENTAL
FORCES IN NATURE, AND THE
STRONG FORCE IS THE FORCE
THAT BINDS THE NUCLEUS
TOGETHER.
IT HOLDS THE PROTONS AND THE
NEUTRONS IN THE NUCLEUS.
HEAVY QUARKS ARE INTERESTING
BECAUSE THEY DON'T APPEAR IN
OUR DAILY LIFE.
WHAT WE FIND IN OUR DAILY
LIFE, WHAT OUR BODIES ARE
MADE OF, WHAT OUR HOUSES ARE
MADE OF, ARE PROTONS AND
NEUTRONS, WHICH ARE MADE OF
LIGHT QUARKS.
THE HEAVY QUARKS WE ONLY
FIND IN PARTICLE COLLIDER
EXPERIMENTS OR IN COSMIC
RAYS.
THEY VERY RARELY MANIFEST
THEMSELVES IN DAILY LIFE.
BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY
MIGHT ACTUALLY HOLD THE KEYS
TO THE ANSWER OF THE
QUESTION: WHY IS THERE
MATTER, BUT NO ANTIMATTER
PRESENT IN OUR UNIVERSE
TODAY?
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH,
SALLY, FOR JOINING US.
REALLY INTERESTING STUFF
THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN WITH
YOUR STUDENTS.
>> THANK YOU.
