There was a time in the last century when the only subatomic
particles we knew were the proton, neutron, and electron. But
in the past 40 years or so physicists working at particle
accelerators—or "atom smashers" in the lay
lingo—have ferreted out a menagerie of so-called
fundamental particles, everything from the charm and strange
quarks to the gluon and tau neutrino. In this gallery, view
visual representations of the most important fundamental
particle discoveries—discoveries that have deepened
physicists' understanding of the building blocks of nature as
well as led to their appreciation of key aspects of string
theory, such as supersymmetry. —Zack Sullivan, Research Associate, Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory
Editor's note: It is difficult to discuss the details of
particle events without getting a bit technical. For an
overview of the questions particle physicists are trying to
answer and how they go about it, the author recommends you
visit the Particle Adventure Web site
(http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/). For
definitions of unfamiliar terms in this article, he suggests
you consult the site's extensive glossary
(http://particleadventure.org/
particleadventure/frameless/glossary.html).
