THE mysterious world of quarks was explained to over 200 students who attended the Pembrokeshire Darwin Science Festival's Christmas Lecture on Thursday, December 11, at the Queen's Hall, Narberth.
Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Physics at the University of Swansea, Simon Hands spoke to senior students from schools around the county, as well as a home educated group and a party from Ysgol y Gwendraeth, Llanelli.
Professor Hands' current research at Swansea uses a powerful computer capable of 60 billion calculations a second to study physical theories. The computer has 128 processors that are configured to work simultaneously on the same problem. Even at these speeds the calculations can take three to four months.
It was believed that the atom was fundamental, but it is now known that the protons and neutrons are made up of quarks, the smallest known component of matter confirmed by particle acceleration experiments carried out at CERN the European Centre for Particle Physics in Geneva.
Under normal conditions quarks do not exist independently, but if matter is heated sufficiently to a trillion degrees Celsius the protons 'melt' into a new form of matter known as quark-gluon plasma. Such conditions were last present just a fraction of a second after the Big Bang at the birth of the Universe.
The Christmas lecture marked the last event in the Science Festival's 2003 programme. The 2004 events will begin during Science Week, March 12 - 21. Contact the Festival Office for further details on 01646 699220.