User:SPat/High energy physics

High energy physics is a branch of physics dealing with study of matter and interactions at the smallest scales. The smaller the length scale of interest, the higher is the required energy of the probe used for observation. Research in high energy physics comprises primarily of problems in particle physics and nuclear physics, but also includes the study of cosmic rays and other closely related areas of astrophysics.

The study of high energy phenomena began in the first half of the twentieth century, primarily with cosmic ray physics. With the construction of increasingly more powerful particle accelerators, the field has grown rapidly starting in the 1950s