Scale: 10-18 meters = 1 am = 1 attometer

The Higgs Boson

Physicists have experimentally determined (based on the highest energy particle collisions currently attainable) an upper limit for the size of quarks and electrons: they must be smaller than 10-18 meters. How much smaller is currently unknown. Superstring theory suggests that these elementary particles could be as small as a Planck length (10-35 m), or perhaps several powers of ten larger.

In 2012, experiments at CERN observed a new particle with a mass about 125 GeV using a proton-proton collision energy of 8 TeV. Continuing experiments and analysis have concluded that this particle is "consistent with the Higgs boson predicted by the Standard Model." As of 2015, analysis of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) data indicate that the newly discovered particle is scalar and spin 0, theoretically required attributes of the Higgs boson. A comprehensive discussion can be found on Wikipedia.

Navigating This Site

To continue your upward journey of 46 powers of ten (10-18 m to 1027 m), select one of the up buttons to jump up one, two, or three powers of ten, or click the image anywhere outside the small inner square to go up one step. At each step, the inner square contains the entire previous image, reduced to one hundredth of its previous area, one thousandth of its previous volume. You may change direction at any step by selecting one of the down buttons or by clicking inside the small square. Remember that there are two separate paths, so if you want to reread a page you just left, use your browser's Back button. I hope you enjoy your trip.


Copyright © 2016 by Bruce Bryson