Elementary Particle Physics or for short Particle Physics or High Energy Physics deals basically with one of the most fundamental questions ever stated by man:

"What is the world made of?"
What is the ultimate constituents of matter and what is the nature of their interactions? Historically, the first evidence of tiny fragments of matter in particle form, was found to emerge from radioactive material and discharge tubes during the end of the 19th centaury and the beginning of the 20th centaury. As detection techniques developed, several particles was also found in the atmosphere, rest products of cosmic ray interactions. During the past 100 years of research in modern physics, hundreds of particle states (apart from the nuclear elements) have now been produced and studied in detail in high energy physics laboratories around the world.
Astrophysics deals with the events in the universe on the grand scale. Birth and death of stars and galaxies and what eventually is left over from the condensation of the remnants from nova and super nova explosions, the planets and the comets. In all these events particle physics together with nuclear physics plays a role in explaining the details of particle interactions on the astronomical scale.

"What is the origin and fate of the universe?"
One of many other philosophical questions stated by the curious man. Particle astrophysics is a new cross-disciplinary field of research between particle physicists and astrophysicists. The main region of interest in this research range from questioning the origin of antimatter in the cosmic rays to the study of the unimaginable violent processes at the center of active galaxies.

"The theory of everything!"
On the theoretical side research in particle physics and (particle) astrophysics is well advanced and spans over a multitude of specialized topics. As an example there is not yet a microscopic theory of gravity. However attempts to couple matter and fields are made in string theories and symmetry principles like supersymmetry.

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