Editing Standard Model (section)

{{Short description|Theory of forces and subatomic particles}}
{{About|a non-mathematical general overview of the Standard Model of particle physics|a mathematical description|Mathematical formulation of the Standard Model|other uses|Standard model (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Standard model of particle physics}}

The '''Standard Model''' of [[particle physics]] is the [[Scientific theory|theory]] describing three of the four known [[fundamental force]]s ([[electromagnetism|electromagnetic]], [[weak interaction|weak]] and [[strong interaction]]s – excluding [[gravity]]) in the [[universe]] and classifying all known [[elementary particle]]s. It was developed in stages throughout the latter half of the 20th century, through the work of many scientists worldwide,<ref>
{{cite book |author=R. Oerter |url=https://archive.org/details/theoryofalmostev0000oert |title=The Theory of Almost Everything: The Standard Model, the Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics |publisher=[[Penguin Group]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-13-236678-6 |edition=Kindle |page=[https://archive.org/details/theoryofalmostev0000oert/page/2 2] |access-date=28 March 2022 |url-access=registration}} {{Dead link |date=March 2022}}</ref> with the current formulation being finalized in the mid-1970s upon [[experimental confirmation]] of the existence of [[quark]]s. Since then, proof of the [[top quark]] (1995), the [[tau neutrino]] (2000), and the [[Higgs boson]] (2012) have added further credence to the Standard Model. In addition, the Standard Model has predicted various properties of [[weak neutral current]]s and the [[W and Z bosons]] with great accuracy.

Although the Standard Model is believed to be theoretically self-consistent{{notetag|There are mathematical issues regarding quantum field theories still under debate (see e.g. [[Landau pole]]), but the predictions extracted from the Standard Model by current methods applicable to current experiments are all self-consistent.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=25 |author=R. Mann |title=An Introduction to Particle Physics and the Standard Model |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4200-8298-2 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-mono/10.1201/9781420083002-25/beyond-standard-model-robert-mann?context=ubx&refId=4a659654-5432-4620-9f88-b125da855acd}}</ref>}} and has demonstrated some success in providing [[experimental prediction]]s, it leaves some [[physics beyond the standard model|physical phenomena unexplained]] and so falls short of being a [[theory of everything|complete theory of fundamental interactions]].<ref name="NYT-20230911">{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |date=11 September 2023 |title=Don't Expect a 'Theory of Everything' to Explain It All |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/science/space/astronomy-universe-simulations.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20230911043212/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/science/space/astronomy-universe-simulations.html |archivedate=11 September 2023 |accessdate=11 September 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> For example, it does not fully explain [[baryon asymmetry|why there is more matter than anti-matter]], incorporate the full [[theory of gravitation]]<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-1-59803-350-2 |oclc=288435552 |last1=Carroll |first1=Sean M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/288435552 |title=Dark Matter, Dark Energy: The Dark Side of the Universe |last2=Rhoades |first2=Zachary H. |last3=Leven |first3=Jon |publisher=[[The Teaching Company]] |year=2007 |series=Guidebook Part 2 |location=Chantilly, VA |pages=59 |quote=...Standard Model of Particle Physics: The modern theory of elementary particles and their interactions ... It does not, strictly speaking, include gravity, although it's often convenient to include gravitons among the known particles of nature... |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref> as described by [[general relativity]], or account for the [[accelerating expansion of the universe|universe's accelerating expansion]] as possibly described by [[dark energy]]. The model does not contain any viable [[dark matter]] particle that possesses all of the required properties deduced from observational [[physical cosmology|cosmology]]. It also does not incorporate [[neutrino oscillation]]s and their non-zero masses.

The development of the Standard Model was driven by [[theoretical physics|theoretical]] and [[experimental physics|experimental]] particle physicists alike. The Standard Model is a paradigm of a [[quantum field theory]] for theorists, exhibiting a wide range of phenomena, including [[spontaneous symmetry breaking]], [[anomaly (physics)|anomalies]], and non-perturbative behavior. It is used as a basis for building more exotic models that incorporate [[hypothetical particle]]s, [[extra dimensions]], and elaborate symmetries (such as [[supersymmetry]]) to explain experimental results at variance with the Standard Model, such as the existence of dark matter and neutrino oscillations.