In which DCist interviews area scientists, researchers, and academics on topics pertaining to natural and scientific interests. As Thomas Dolby would say: science!

Robert Oerter has taught at the University of Maryland, Howard University, and George Mason University, where he has worked for the past 10 years. He is the author of The Theory of Almost Everything: The Standard Model, The Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics (Plume Press), which has been translated into Italian and Spanish. Dr. Oerter has done research in elementary particle physics, supersymmetry, quantum chaos, and underwater acoustics.

DCist: Protons and neutrons are both hadrons. Are there other hadrons?

Robert Oerter: A hadron is any particle built of quarks. There are six different types of quark, and six corresponding anti-quarks, so there are many possible combinations. Protons and neutrons are both baryons: particles built of three quarks. Mesons are built of one quark and one anti-quark.

DCist: The Large Hadron Collider is a 17-mile loop of tunnels. What explains its large scale?

RO: You want to achieve the highest possible energy, but the protons lose energy as they go around the bend of the accelerator. So you want to have as little bend as possible: that means as large a loop as possible.