Fundamental building blocks of matter that exist below the atomic scale, including elementary particles and composite particles that form atoms and determine their properties.

Subatomic Particles

Subatomic particles represent the smallest known constituents of Matter, existing at scales far smaller than Atoms. These particles form the foundation of physical reality and are central to our understanding of the universe's fundamental structure.

Classification

Elementary Particles

The most basic particles that cannot be subdivided:

Fermions (matter particles)
- Quarks (up, down, charm, strange, top, bottom)
- Leptons (electrons, muons, taus, and neutrinos)
Bosons (force carriers)
- Photons (electromagnetic force)
- Gluons (strong nuclear force)
- W and Z Bosons (weak nuclear force)
- Higgs Boson (mass-giving particle)

Composite Particles

Particles composed of multiple elementary particles:

Hadrons (made of quarks)
- Protons (two up quarks, one down quark)
- Neutrons (one up quark, two down quarks)
- Mesons (quark-antiquark pairs)

Fundamental Properties

Subatomic particles possess various intrinsic characteristics:

Interactions

Particles interact through the Fundamental Forces:

Discovery and Detection

Historical Milestones

Detection Methods

Applications

Practical Uses

Medical Applications
- Particle Therapy
- Medical Imaging
Energy Production
- Nuclear Fission
- Nuclear Fusion
Scientific Research
- Quantum Computing
- Materials Science

Current Research

Active areas of investigation include:

Search for Dark Matter Particles
Study of Antimatter
Investigation of Neutrino Oscillations
Research into Quantum Field Theory

Theoretical Implications

Understanding subatomic particles has led to:

Future Directions

Emerging research areas include:

The study of subatomic particles continues to push the boundaries of human knowledge, revealing the intricate fabric of reality at its most fundamental level.