Mass
In the classical physics we inherited
from Isaac Newton, mass does not arise, it simply is. The mass of a classical
object is the sum of the masses of its parts. Albert Einstein showed that the
mass of a body is a
measure of its energy content, inviting us to consider the origins of mass. The
protons we accelerate at Fermilab are prime examples of Einsteinian matter:
nearly all of their mass arises from stored energy.
Missing mass led to the discovery of the noble gases, and a new form of missing
mass leads us to the notion of dark matter. Starting with a brief guided tour
of the meanings of mass, the colloquium will explore
the multiple origins of mass. We will see how far we have come toward
understanding mass, and survey the issues that guide our research today.