Google Doodle Today: Celebrating 100th birth anniversary of César Lattes; a Brazilian physicist who discovered pion | Today News
Today's Google Doodle is honoring the birthday of Brazilian physicist and educator César Lattes, who is known for discovering the 'pion', also called the 'pi meson'. This subatomic particle has a mass that is 270 times larger than an electron.
The fun doodle is honoring the scientist, who was born on this day in 1924. Their groundbreaking findings contributed to our knowledge of complex nuclear forces.
Talking about César Lattes' breakthrough, Google Doodle says, "Happy birthday César Lattes, thanks for leading the path for experimental physics in Latin America and across the globe!"
The tale goes back to when a scientist carried two photography plates up to the summit of a mountain in order to capture more cosmic rays.
As per the large technology company, the plate that Lattes altered displayed traces of a previously unseen particle - the pion. Pions, also known as pi mesons, are particles smaller than an atom. They are created when cosmic matter collides with the Earth's atmosphere.
This Google Doodle claims that Lattes had the insight to add boron to photographic plates in order to improve the clarity of images showing particle decay. This tactic was successful, allowing him to observe individual protons.
Lattes not only discovered pi mesons, but also identified that certain mesons have more mass than others. For this achievement, his research team was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Following this success, Lattes went on to become a professor of physics at the University of São Paulo and later at the State University of Campinas.
The large technology company also mentioned that Lattes advocated for increased government support for scientific research. As a result, the CBPF was established - the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics, with Lattes serving as the scientific director. He guided numerous students in their postgraduate studies in nuclear emulsion (detecting particles) and geochronology (dating rocks) in various locations including Brazil, the United States, and Italy.
Lattes was recognized with several accolades for his contributions to nuclear forces and particle physics, such as the Einstein Award from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and an Order of Merit from Brazil and Italy. Numerous schools, roads, and town squares have been named after him, according to Google. Lattes attended the University of São Paulo and earned his degree in 1943 as the sole physics major in his class. During his twenties, he delved into the study of cosmic rays, which are powerful particles from outer space.
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July 11, 2024, 6:49 AM Indian Standard Time
Today's Google Doodle is honoring the 100th birthday of César Lattes, a physicist from Brazil who is known for his discovery of the pion particle.
