Instant Expert: Inside the subatomic universe

New Scientist presents ...

Instant Expert: Inside the subatomic universe

Saturday 18th January 2024, 10am - 5pm | Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LS

In the early 20th Century, physicists like Rutherford, Bohr and Schrödinger devised our current model of the atom – with protons and neutrons in the nucleus and a cloud of electrons. But that was only the start of the story.

Ever since, scientists have devised theories and carried out experiments with gigantic, atom-smashing particle accelerators to probe deeper into what these particles are made of. Some believe our best theory, the Standard Model, is not quite complete.

Particle accelerators, such as those deep underground at huge facilities like Fermilab and CERN, have also given us evidence to answer other questions, such as what gives objects mass. They’ve also allowed us to explore mysterious particles like quarks and neutrinos.

Join six leading experts to find out everything we know about what stuff is made of.

At this Instant Expert, you’ll:

· Learn about the standard model of particle physics, and why it’s only the beginning.

· Explore the incredible results from particle colliders such as the LHC at CERN.

· Discover neutrinos, the strangest particles in the universe.

· Find out why matter has mass.

· Uncover why there’s more matter than antimatter in the universe.

Talks and speakers:

The standard model - the theory of (almost) everything

Harry Cliff, particle physicist, University of Cambridge

The standard model of particle physics is the closest we’ve come to a theory of everything, describing the basic ingredients of matter and the forces that hold them together with dazzling, sometimes maddening accuracy. In this talk, Dr Harry Cliff will describe how the standard model was assembled over more than a century, beginning with the discovery of the electron in a pokey Cambridge lab in 1897 and culminating with the observation of a Higgs boson using the largest scientific instrument ever built, the Large Hadron Collider, in 2012. Along the way we’ll discover the beautiful mathematical principles that underly this magnificent theory and the questions that it leaves unanswered.

Hunting for dark matter deep underground

Henrique Araújo, Astroparticle physicist, Imperial College London

Nature continues to challenge us with deceptively simple, yet important questions which we have collectively failed to answer over several decades. One of the most important is “What is the composition of the elusive “dark matter” that accounts for most of the mass of the cosmos?” This question may be answered by “listening in” to a large collection of very quiet atoms at the core of extremely sensitive radiation detectors installed deep underground. In this quiet environment we may be sensitive to the collisions of dark matter particles with ordinary atoms, and hence infer their mass and other properties. I will describe how these searches are progressing, summarising results from our world-leading LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, and describe how the UK might play an even bigger role in this quest in the future.

Four more exciting talks to be announced soon...

Who should attend?

This masterclass is designed for everyone who wants to learn about the standard model of particle physics, and why it’s only the beginning.

• Become an expert in one day

• Informal set-up, meet like minded people

• Open your mind, be inspired

• Unique chance to ask your burning questions to our experts

What's included in your ticket:

In-depth and engaging talks from six leading scientists

Ask-an-expert Question Time session

Your chance to meet our six speakers and New Scientist host

Exclusive on-the-day New Scientist subscription deal, book and merchandise offers Booking information:

The event will be held at the Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3LS

Doors will open at 9:15am, with talks commencing at 10am sharp. The event will finish at 5pm.

We require the name of each person attending - please ensure this is provided at the time of booking. If you need to change the name of an attendee, please notify us as soon as possible: [email protected]

Eventbrite will email you your ticket(s) immediately after purchase. Please remember to bring your ticket(s) with you as you'll need it to gain entry. We can scan tickets from a print out, or off the screen of a phone / tablet / smartwatch.

The schedule / exact running order for the day will be confirmed closer to the event, and will be emailed to all ticket holders.

Lunch will NOT be provided at this event. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food, or purchase lunch at one of the many establishments in the surrounding area.

Should you require details about disabled access, please contact us at: [email protected]

Tickets are non-transferable to any other New Scientist event.

All tickets are non-refundable.

New Scientist reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. In the unlikely event of cancellation, all tickets will be fully refunded. New Scientist Ltd will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.

Tickets are subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite.

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