From the scale of the Universe to the smallest particles we turn to the electron in our series of Branch Lectures.
Perhaps the electron is more easily grasped as a concept - but are we correct in imagining it to be a tiny round ball?
Dr Tarbutt of Imperial College will be stretching our minds around this little considered matter at our usual venue of Ellison Building, Northumbria University.
The shape of an electron is important in physics because it is connected to the basic symmetries of nature. The first is the symmetry between the forward and backward flow of time. The second is the symmetry between matter and anti-matter.
The talk will explore these connections, showing how extremely precise measurements, made in a small laboratory experiment, can answer some of the big physics questions.