What is smaller than an atom?

Protons and neutrons make up the nucleus of atoms, and it is the different combinations and configurations of these subatomic particles that are responsible for providing different types of atoms with various properties. Protons, neutrons and heavier particles, known as hadrons, are created from even smaller subatomic particles, known as quarks. read more

That list includes quarks, gluons, electrons and neutrinos. Then there are the forces that join those things up: light is one of them. Light is carried by little particles called photons. And there is the Higgs boson particle, which we found last year, which is also smaller than an atom. It does still boggle my mind. read more

An atom is defined as the smallest unit of which an element is composed. Atoms are made up of sub-atomic particles, i.e. proton, electron, and neutron. Sub-atomic particles are made of of even smaller things of which quarks are one. Photons and anti-neutrinos are also particles which are smaller than atoms. read more