High Energy Physics (HEP) is the branch of physics that deals with the most energetic particles in the universe. These particles have energies much higher than those used in everyday life, and as such, their behavior is very different from that of lower energy particles. HEP studies the fundamental structure of matter and the forces that govern its behavior, at the highest energies achievable in laboratories.
In addition to being interesting in their own right, HEP studies can have important practical applications. For example, understanding how high energy particles interact can help us develop new technologies for medical imaging or cancer treatment. Additionally, HEP research has led to important advances in our understanding of cosmology and the early universe.
The most common tool used by HEP physicists are particle accelerators. These devices accelerate charged particles to extremely high energies and then collide them together. The resulting collisions generate new particles, which can be detected and studied using a variety of detectors. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is currently the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, and it has been responsible for some of the most important discoveries in HEP over the past decade.
If you’re interested in learning more about HEP, there are many excellent resources available online and in print. A good place to start is with an introductory textbook on particle physics such as “Introduction to High Energy Physics” by Perkins or “Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction” by Boothroyd & Iles-Smith