The Standard Model of Particle Physics: A Triumph of Science

The Standard Model of particle physics is the most successful scientific theory of all time. It describes how everything in the universe is made of 12 different types of matter particles, interacting with three forces, all bound together by a rather special particle called the Higgs boson. It’s the pinnacle of 400 years of science and gives the correct answer to hundreds of thousands of experiments. In this explainer, Cambridge University physicist David Tong recreates the model, piece by piece, to provide some intuition for how the fundamental building blocks of our universe fit together. At the end of the video, he also points out what’s missing from the model and what work is left to do in order to complete the Theory of Everything.

**Correction: At 13'50", the photon should be included with the three fundamental forces. The animation here is incorrect, while the narration is correct.

00:00 The long search for a Theory of Everything
00:33 The Standard Model
01:43 Gravity: the mysterious force
02:29 Quantum Field Theory and wave-particle duality
03:05 Fermions and Bosons
04:00 Electrons and quarks, protons and neutrons
04:45 Neutrinos
05:22 Muons and Taus
05:59 Strange and Bottom Quarks, Charm and Top Quarks
06:13 Electron Neutrinos, Muon Neutrinos, and Tao Neutrinos
06:26 How do we detect the elusive particles?
06:49 Why do particles come in sets of four?
07:17 The Dirac Equation describes all of the particles
07:49 The three fundamental forces
08:13 Bosons
08:32 Electromagnetism and photons
09:17 The Strong Force, gluons and flux tubes
10:38 The Weak Force, Radioactive Beta Decay, W and Z bosons
12:04 The Higgs boson and the Higgs field
13:20 Beyond the Standard Model: a Grand Unified Theory
14:12 How does gravity fit in the picture?
14:41 Where is the missing dark matter and dark energy?
15:03 Unsolved mysteries of the Standard Model

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