The Atom Smashers

Starring: .

Physicists at Fermilab, a powerful particle accelerator laboratory in Illinois, are closing in on one of the universe's best-kept secrets: why everything has mass. With the Tevatron, a four-mile underground particle accelerator, the scientists smash matter together at nearly the speed of light to find a particle theorized nearly forty years ago by Scottish scientist Peter Higgs. "The Atom Smashers" examines fifteen months at Fermilab as it scours the subatomic world for the Higgs.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 841887009980
• Release Date: March 2009
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Publisher: PBS
• Director: n/a
• Starring: .
• Runtime: 1 hour, 20 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: Multiple Formats; Closed-captioned; Color; NTSC
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Interesting history, yet of course not up to date.

The Atom Smashers (2008) Independent Lens S10 E6 - The Atom Smashers Episode aired Nov 25, 2008 This Independent Lens program falls into the trap of doing a sound bite presentation. This is the best way to fluff up a presentation without having to follow a train of thought. They could have stuck with one presenter or narrator until they were finished instead of a hodgepodge of bits and pieces. Unfortunately, due to politics, the Fermilab replacement in Waxahachie, Texas, known as The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), nicknamed the Desertron, was never completed and is not mentioned in this presentation. However, it is in the extras. They do mention the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Then the true nature of the presentation comes out as a complaint about the U.S. not funding partial physics research. Most of the presentation is dumbed down to the point that it is excruciating to watch. You might give the fast-forward button a thought.