Related papers: Elementary Particles: What are they? Substances, e…
We describe the very nature of the elementary particles, which our (visible) Universe consists of. We point out that they are not point-like, and we depict their ways of interacting. We also address puzzles that occur even in the absence of…
The Standard Model of the electroweak and strong interactions of particle physics is a quantum field theory. Elementary particles are not indivisible `pieces' of matter but energy bundles of fields, whose properties and interactions are a…
Energy is no doubt an intuitive concept. Following a previous analysis on the nature of elementary particles and associated elementary quantum fields, the peculiar status and role of energy is scrutinised further at elementary and larger…
After a brief review of the historical development and CLASSICAL properties of the BLACK HOLES, we discuss how our present knowledge of some of their QUANTUM properties shed light on the very concept of ELEMENTARY PARTICLE. As an…
We consider a model of an elementary particle as a 2 + 1 dimensional brane evolving in a 3 + 1 dimensional space. Introducing gauge fields that live in the brane as well as normal surface tension can lead to a stable "elementary particle"…
The formulation of quantum theory does not comply with the notion of objective existence of elementary particles. Objective existence independent of observation implies the distinguishability of elementary particles. In other words: If…
We put forward a possible new interpretation and explanatory framework for quantum theory. The basic hypothesis underlying this new framework is that quantum particles are conceptual entities. More concretely, we propose that quantum…
The standard model of particle physics represents the cornerstone of our understanding of the microscopic world. In these lectures we review its contents and structure, with a particular emphasis on the central role played by symmetries and…
The Standard Model of elementary particles is a theory unifying three of the four basic forces of the Nature: electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions. In this paper we consider the Standard Model in the presence of a classical…
At the primary level of reality as described by quantum field theory, a fundamental particle like an electron represents a stable, discrete, propagating excited state of its underlying quantum field. QFT also tells us that the lowest vacuum…
Elementary particles are found in two different situations: (i) bound to metastable states of matter, for which angular momentum is quantized, and (ii) free, for which, due to their high energy-momentum and leaving aside inner a.m. or spin,…
According to classical physics particles are basic building blocks of the world. Classical particles are distinguishable objects, individuated by physical characteristics. By contrast, in quantum mechanics the standard view is that…
Quantum black holes are the smallest and heaviest conceivable elementary particles. They have a microscopic size but a macroscopic mass. Several fundamental types have been constructed with some remarkable properties. Quantum black holes in…
We introduce the standard model of elementary particles and discuss the reasons why we have to modify it. Emphasis is put on the indications from the neutrinos and on the role of the Higgs particle; some promising theoretical ideas, like…
Quantum foundations are still unsettled, with mixed effects on science and society. By now it should be possible to obtain consensus on at least one issue: Are the fundamental constituents fields or particles? As this paper shows,…
A conjecture on the origin of elementary particle masses is discussed, based on the micro-universe and quantum state reduction concepts. The reduction of the quantum state of a real particle is understood to take place objectively; in every…
Well over a century after the discovery of the electron, we are still faced with serious conceptual issues regarding precisely what an electron is. Since the development of particle physics and the Standard Model, we have accumulated a…
The purpose of this article is to show that the standard method of introducing the quantum description of the electromagnetic field -- by canonical field quantization -- is not the only one. We have chosen instead as the starting point the…
Particle physics has evolved a coherent model that characterizes forces and particles at the most elementary level. This Standard Model, built from many theoretical and experimental studies, is in excellent accord with almost all current…
This paper is a set of musings on what particles really are -- something one all too often as a particle physicist assumes is pretty well-established. The initial motivation for these thoughts comes from a question that I always ask Alberto…