The Nobel Prize in Physics 2004

 

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2004

       
  desy   The theory shows its true colours

The aftermath of a high-energy collision between a proton and an electron, as seen by the H1 experiment at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg. The experiment is shown in cross-section, perpendicular to colliding beams of protons and electrons. The electron has struck one of the quarks in a proton. An impressive shower of particles – providing information about the struck quark – is spontaneously produced from the energy strored in the gluon force-field. The charged particles in the shower bend in the experiment’s strong magnetic field.

 

Contents:
| Introduction – A colourful connection | The Standard Model and the four forces | Inside the proton  | The theory shows its true colours | The strong force | A unified theory for all forces? | Timeline | Further reading | Credits |
  Web Adapted Version of the Nobel Poster from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2004. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Mon. 8 Dec 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2004/9455-the-nobel-prize-in-physics-2004/>

Go to the top of the page

Follow Nobel Week live

Watch the 2025 Nobel Prize lectures, Nobel Week Dialogue, the prize award ceremonies in Oslo and Stockholm and Nobel Peace Prize Forum here at nobelprize.org.

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.