St. Michael the Archangel

(Hebrew "Who is like God?").

St. Michael is one of the principal angels; his name was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy and his followers. The Archangel Michael is renowned for his valiant spirit of protective power. He (or she) is the warrior Archangel, fighting on the side of God's Justice. Michael is also naturally associated with Fire. Therefore he is the patron of the science of fire, High Energy Physics.

The many tones of red in the Archangel's picture also evoke fire. The lightning bolts in the background are the high energies of Nature. Michael's wings are made of flames. In his right hand he/she holds the red rod of a laser beam (instead of the traditional spear) and in his left hand he/she holds the glowing "globe" of a stylized atom. This is an atom of Neon, with ten electrons spinning around its bright nucleus. The border features particle trails and images of exploding atoms. The red triangles in the border are symbols of Fire.