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Article: Cosmic rays: down-to-earth physics. (technology behind particle physics) (Science and Technology)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- January 21, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Cosmic rays Down-to-earth physics
IN ORDER to do particle physics, first catch your particles - traditionally, by making them in an accelerator. Because physicists are always looking for new particles, the machines to make them grow bigger and bigger the latest in line is a $6 billion (or more) behemoth that America is planning to build in Texas. Yet all the while ready-made particles are falling around hungry physicists like manna from heaven.
Such particles - in the form of cosmic rays - are the current fancy of Dr James Cronin, a Nobel laureate from the University of Chicago who spoke at a session on high-energy physics. Despite being hard to observe, ...