Harry Cliff: Particle Physics and the Large Hadron Collider | Lex Fridman Podcast #92

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

April 29, 2020

Duration

1h 38m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Harry Cliff is a particle physicist at the University of Cambridge working on the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment that specializes in searching for hints of new particles and forces by studying a type of particle called the "beauty quark", or "b quark". In this way, he is part of the group of physicists who are searching answers to some of the biggest questions in modern physics. He is also an exceptional communicator of science with some of the clearest and most captivating explanations of basic concepts in particle physics I've ever heard. Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Harry's Website: https://www.harrycliff.co.uk/ Harry's Twitter: https://twitter.com/harryvcliff Beyond the Higgs Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvdzh9Pggg Harry's stand-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnediKM_Sts PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 3:51 - LHC and particle physics 13:55 - History of particle physics 38:59 - Higgs particle 57:55 - Unknowns yet to be discovered 59:48 - Beauty quarks 1:07:38 - Matter and antimatter 1:10:22 - Human side of the Large Hadron Collider 1:17:27 - Future of large particle colliders 1:24:09 - Data science with particle physics 1:27:17 - Science communication 1:33:36 - Most beautiful idea in physics CONNECT:

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🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Harry Cliff

  guest

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Harry Cliff, Harry Cliff: Particle Physics and the Large Hadron Collider | Lex Fridman Podcast #92 explores inside the Large Hadron Collider: Higgs, Matter, and Cosmic Symmetry Breaking Lex Fridman and particle physicist Harry Cliff explore how the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) works, why it’s so large, and how it lets us probe quantum fields—the deeper reality underlying particles. They walk through the history and structure of the Standard Model, including quarks, forces, and the Higgs field, and why the Higgs is both a triumph and a theoretical headache. Cliff explains LHCb’s precision studies of beauty (b) quarks to hunt for subtle deviations that might hint at new particles, dark matter, or the origin of the matter–antimatter imbalance. They also discuss future colliders, the limits of string theory tests, and the human side of building and running vast international scientific collaborations.

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