But colliding asymmetrically with a high rate of events is tough. As we move into the next millenium, this new machine, along with its Japanese rival, is expected to not only shed new light on the birth of the Universe, but to also present the stiffest challenge yet to the Standard Model, the bedrock theory upon which stands our understanding of the fundamental particles and forces of nature. The Standard Model will be put in a straitjacket because the pattern of CP-violation is well prescribed. Any deviations and we have new physics. The Standard Model holds that the fundamental constituents of matter consist of six quarks and six leptons, each of which comes with an anti-matter counterpart.
Leptons are stand-alone particles such as electrons and neutrinos.
Quarks never exist alone but combine into composite particles. As B and B -bar mesons decay to stable products, it may be possible for the Standard Model to explain how CP symmetry could be violated at some point along the way. By mass producing B and B -bar mesons and looking for discrepancies in their decay, scientists may find that the pattern of CP violation does not fit the Standard Model. This could mean that new theories are required and might also yield new insight into how and why quarks are always bound together. The Standard Model will be put in a straitjacket because the pattern of CP-violation is well prescribed.