The table is flat to one quarter of one-thousandth of an inch. Physicists have developed the Standard Model of elementary particles that describes all the information obtained with present accelerators. However, the theory breaks down at higher energies and new phenomena must be added, says physics research professor Paul Mockett. The Atlas detector will explore a higher-energy region for the new phenomena.
Many physicists expect to find numerous new particles that complement the known particles.
They also hope to find the Higgs boson, a particle theorized in the Standard Model. Interactions involving the Higgs boson could be the very reason objects have mass, and its discovery could bring profound advances in understanding the nature of all matter in the universe. Muons are a major component of the cosmic rays that shower from the upper atmosphere, and are often produced in the types of collisions that interest physicists in the search for new phenomena. Physics and engineering students will assist in construction, and physics graduate students will take part in the assembly and operation of the detectors. The detectors must be built with a precision of one-thousandth of an inch to perform properly, thus the granite slab.