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Higgs level physics (10^-25 m)
When one goes deeper into particle physics old questions find their answers and new one arises.
One question is why the world around us is made of matter while anti-matter is non-existent.
Explanations for this is found in GUT's (Grand Unified Theories) that predict a new kind of
force particle the X-boson that would predominantly have decayed into matter particles in the
very early moments of the Big Bang. From this time there may also exist defects in the background
particle fields known as 'monopoles' and 'cosmic strings'. Another prediction is that of the Higgs particle
that should explain why some elementary particles have mass.
The GUT's that where proposed during the 80's was all rather straightforward generalisations
of the QED (Quantum Electro Dynamics) and QCD (Quantum Chromo Dynamics) theories that
constitute the standard model of particle physics. Now it is thougt that the true GUT is
a much more messy affair that has to be derived from a more fundamental theory that includes not
only the strong,weak and electromagnetic forces but also gravitation.
Such a fundamental theory usually goes under the name of TOE (Theory Of Everything).
The parts of this TOE that concerns the 3 stronger forces is labeled as an effective GUT.