Usually when you look in the mirror, the result is familiar - a perfect reflection of yourself. Looking at you and your reflection, everything is exactly symmetric. However, in the world of subatomic particles, mirror images don't always behave as you'd expect.

Particle physicists talk about symmetry being violated, a particular example is the violation of 'CP' symmetry.

Everything you ever wanted to know about CP violation and never dared to ask

 CartoonCP.GIF (8387 bytes)


Slightly more advanced material:

  1. A matter of symmetry*

  2. Quarks in transition*
Slightly more advanced material still:
  1. What is CP-violation ?*
  2. Experiments in B-physics*
  3. Future experiments with B mesons*
  4. Supplementary literature*

* by James Gillies
* translated from Dutch and adapted from an original by Adriaan Buijs from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
   We wish to thank Adriaan for allowing the LHCb collaboration to use his material. 

This page last edited by EvH and AW on 16 September, 2004.