October 15, 2024
What is the universe and what it is made of?
As far as we know, we're all energy, spun into different arrays and combinations. There are a few fundamental particles that are combined to form everything else in the universe. The fundamental particles are the basic ingredients that gravity spins into the different forces and forms that shape everything else including ourselves. The fundamental particles are divided in two categories (bosons and fermions) based on three fundamental properties (mass, spin, and charge). The universe is the "matrix" (place or platform) where things are created (transformed) since the beginning of time. These energy transformations will continue until the end of time, when they will probably find a way to begin all over again.
The fundamental particles are the indivisible building blocks of the universe. They are classified based on their characteristics in terms of the three fundamental properties of particles: mass, spin, and charge. Mass is the amount of matter. Charge is the electrical property of a particle, indicating whether it is positive, negative, or neutral. Spin is angular momentum of a particle, essentially describing its "rotation" on its axis. There are two types of fundamental particles: bosons and fermions. The main difference between fermions and bosons is their spin (angular momentum): fermions have a half-integer spin (e.g. 1/2, 3/2), while bosons have an integer spin (e.g. 0, 1, 2). This difference leads to distinct behaviors, particularly regarding how they interact with each other.
Bosons: Let the Force be with you
Bosons are fundamental (indivisible, non-composite) particles that mediate three fundamental forces of the universe: the strong force, the weak force, and electromagnetism. [Note: Gravity is fourth "force", but so far no one has identified a particle mediating gravity. The source of gravity is still a fundamental mystery just like the source of energy and, essentially, the source of everything. The more we know, the more we realize how much we don't know.]
There are five bosons: photons; gluons; W bosons, Z bosons, and the Higgs bosons.
- Photons: Mediate the electromagnetic force. This means that exchanges of photons cause the attraction / repulsion of electrically charged particles. Photons are massless. Photons interact with electrically charged particles. Photons are created when an electron in an excited state falls back to a lower energy level, releasing the energy difference as a single packet of light energy, which is the photon.
- Gluons: Mediate the strong nuclear force. This means that exchanges of gluons are what holds three quarks together in the trios that form either protons or neutrons. Gluons are massless. Gluons interact only with quarks and other gluons. Gluons are exchanged between quarks, creating the attractive force that holds them together. The strong force created by gluons only operates over very short distances within the nucleus due to the nature of gluon exchange.
- W, Z, and Higgs Bosons: The W and Z bosons mediate the weak nuclear force. This means that exchanges of these bosons change the charge of quarks to turn neutrons into protons, and vice versa, which is essential for sparking nuclear fusion in stars like our sun. Bosons have mass. Bosons interact with fermions. The Higgs boson is part of the energy field (Higgs field) where mass-carrying particles get their load of mass or "get wet" in mass.
Fermions: Particles Lives Matter
Fermions (named after Enrico Fermi) are the particles that make up all matter in the universe. There are two types of fermions: quarks and leptons. Quarks and leptons are fundamental particles that were either spontaneously created in the early universe (shortly after the Big Bang), or were already contained in the super hot and dense energy bundle that preceded the Big Bang.
There are six types of quarks grouped in three pairs: up/down, charm/strange, and top/bottom. Quarks have fractional electric charges (+2/3 or -1/3). Quarks are never found alone and are always bundled or combined in trios that form either protons or neutrons (hadrons)
There are six types of leptons grouped in three pairs: electrons / electron neutrino; muons / muon neutrinos; tau / tau neutrinos.- Electrons are negatively charged fundamental particles found everywhere. Electrons are used in countless of applications from electricity and electronics.
- Muons are "fat" electrons weighing 200 times more. Muons are formed when cosmic rays collide with air molecules. Due to their high energy, muons can travel through significant amounts of matter, allowing scientists to use them to "see" inside large objects like pyramids or volcanoes.
- Tau particles are supermassive electrons (3,500 times heavier). Due to their weight, they are super unstable, decaying into muons or electrons in fractions of fractions of a second (2.9 × 10−13 second). They can only be seen in artificial particle colliders.
Fundamental particles are currently considered the smallest building blocks of matter and are not made up of smaller particles. Unlike composite particles like protons and neutrons, fundamental particles have no internal structure and are considered the most basic units of matter.
Everything in this universe is made by the interaction of gravity with the fundamental particles above. It's all the same, spun gravitationally into different combinations. At Creatix, we conceptualize the universe as a creative matrix or "creatix". A matrix is a place or platform where things are created. To create is to transform. Transformations are generated by either combining (adding) or by separating (subtracting) components. Chances are that these transformations will continue until the end of time, when they will most likely begin all over again. Don't take life too seriously. Enjoy it while you can. The more you learn, the more you enjoy, and the more you enjoy, the more you learn.
Now you know it. We will continue learning.
Live well. Die better. Enjoy.
www.creatix.one
Comments
Post a Comment