Von der Quantenwelt zur Kosmologie
On 3 July 2024, we ran a day-long outreach activity in collaboration with the students of the EF and Q1 physics classes from Europaschule Herzogenrath, with pupils aged 16 to 18, approximately. Half of the day was devoted to some lab experience with SCIphyLAB Schülerlabor Physik at RWTH Aachen University, the other half day was an activity related to theoretical physics. This activity was titled "Von der Quantenwelt zur Kosmologie" ("From the quantum world to cosmology") and the topics were particles and interactions at the smallest and largest scales. The goal was to present some of the topics of current research and give the students an impression of the work of a physicist. The activity was divided into three parts:1. Scales
We introduced the huge variety of length scales that can be described by physics. This theme was explored with a short movie along the lines of the famous "Powers of Ten" by Ray and Charles Eames. Subsequently, the vast distances of the solar system alone were illustrated using some props on the lawn behind the physics building.2. The quantum world
In the second activity, we explored the quarks as the building blocks of protons and neutrons. Discussing possible compositions, we discovered that a force different from the electromagnetic interactions would be required to bind the quarks together. The rules governing the formation of stable bound states were explored in a quark puzzle. We could identify a number of particles, some of which have been known for decades, others are yet to be discovered.3. Cosmology
On the largest scales, the evolution of the Universe is governed by gravity. We explored the strength of gravity in comparison with other fundamental forces. The manifestation of gravity as space time curvature was illustrated with the help of a gravity well. A short presentation introduced the concept of dark matter, before we had a brief chance to talk about the expansion of the Universe.Photos
