Science can be a tricky subject for some to grapple with. For others, understanding the different parts of an atom is second nature and comes as naturally as breathing to them.
However, “Particle Fever,” a documentary about the Large Hadron Collider and the several experiments that make up the towering machine, can capture the interest of both the physics enthusiasts and the scientifically inept.
The film gives its viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of six of the 10,000 scientists involved with the experiment and their search for the elusive Higgs boson. Those 10,000 scientists, including an assortment from MSU, come from more than 100 countries.
Referred to as the “God particle” by the media, the discovery of the Higgs boson would confirm the existence of the Higgs field.
ATLAS, one of the Large Hadron Collider’s experiments, was one of the projects MSU professors worked on, including Joey Huston, a professor in the physics and astronomy department.
ATLAS is a particle detector that collides proton beams against each other at one of the highest amounts of energy ever achieved, nearly as fast as the speed of light.
The film uses various graphics and animations so viewers can witness the effect of these collisions with their own eyes.
It also features narrated lectures scattered throughout the feature, taking bits and pieces of the different parts of the experiment and explaining what they meant. The lectures helped with the flow of the film and were both engaging and easy to understand.
The events of the film itself began in 2007 with the first launch of the Large Hadron Collider and ended in 2012 with a monumental breakthrough for the experiment.
I won’t spoil what the breakthrough was, but it didn’t conclude with the end of the world. Many news headlines documented the present fear that the machine would destroy life as we knew it, even suggesting it would create a massive black hole that would swallow the planet.
The news headlines made the film relatable to someone who might not know much about the experiment in general.
It also humanized the scientists featured throughout the documentary. Physicists who were present when the experiment was first assembled were featured, along with one who had only been on the project for a little more than a year. These scientists’ background stories were explored.
It showed the point of views of the ones who create the theories behind the experiments and those who put those theories into action. The different points of view gives those watching the film a chance to see and understand every part of this massive experiment.
I would give the film four out of five stars. “Particle Fever” takes an experiment years in the making and a scientific breakthrough of epic proportions and condenses it down into 99 comprehensible minutes.
Susan Woods, director of the East Lansing Film Festival and a member of the East Lansing City Council, said she is currently in the process of trying to bring a screening to MSU.
