December 22, 2024

UT physicists to address questions after showing of “Particle Fever” documentary

UT Physicist will hold a Q&A at Regal Downtown West after the premier of “Particle Fever,” a documentary on the Large Hadron Collider.

University of Tennessee Professor of physics Dr. George Siopsis and associate professor of physics Stefan Spanier will answer questions following a screening of the documentary “Particle Fever” tomorrow at the Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 in Knoxville

The film follows six scientists during the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, an energy particle accelerator.  The documentary puts a personal touch on one of history’s largest scientific experiments. The characters emotions are documented as they search for the Higgs boson.

Local experts Siopsis and Spanier will be available for discussion following the 7:20 p.m. showing of the film. Friday is the opening day for the film.

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A Large Hadron Collider is a machine that allows physicists to hold different experiments involving energy particles. Image courtesy of UT’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Siopsis says the film “conveys the enthusiasm of physicists, how we work together in international collaborations, and shows what it takes to do science.”

With the help of Siopsis and Spanier, the University of Tennessee High Energy Physics group has been part of the hunt for the Higgs boson since 2006.

The department website says that the group has made substantial contributions to the particle tracking detectors needed to study the decay properties, particularly the angular distributions of the Higgs boson.

Siopsis says that the Higgs is central to our existence and that he looks forward “to the excitement of new discoveries will generate in the coming years.”  

Showtimes for Particle Fever can be found here.

Edited by Maggie Jones