Accelerated particles: Housed in a 27-kilometre-circumference tunnel under the French-Swiss border, the LHC is expected to be up and running by July or August. Credit: CERN
GENEVA: The world’s biggest atom-smasher, now close to completion at the CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) laboratory near Geneva, is a study in big numbers:
- The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will whiz protons to 99.9999 per cent of the speed of light in two parallel beams in a ring-shaped tunnel, 27 kilometres (16.9 miles) long and up to 175 metres (568 feet) below the ground. The tunnel straddles the French-Swiss border.
- In top gear, the LHC will generate nearly a billion collisions per second. Above ground, a farm of 3,000 computers, will rapidly crunch this number down to about 100 collisions that are of the most interest. The data will then be sent out to a grid of institutions and universities around the world for analysis – a sort of mini-World Wide Web of its own.
- The tunnel is the world’s largest fridge, with parts reaching a temperature as low as -271ºC, which is colder than deep space.
- The detectors are Herculean in scale. The biggest, called ATLAS, is 46 metres long and 25 metres high, or about half the size of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. At 7,000 tonnes, ATLAS weighs almost as much as the Eiffel Tower, and has 3,000 km of cabling. Nearly 300,000 tonnes of rock were dug to house ATLAS and 50,000 tonnes of concrete were poured. In one year, ATLAS will generate 3,200 terabytes of raw data, equivalent to 160 times the three billion books in the U.S. Library of Congress.
- In the course of a 10-hour experiment, a beam might travel more than 10 billion kilometres, enough to get to Neptune and back. At full intensity, each beam will have the equivalent energy of a car travelling at 1,600 km/h. The LHC will use up 120 megawatts of power, equal to all the households in the Geneva area.
- LHC collisions will generate 14 teraelectronvolts (TeV), amounting to a high concentration of energy but only at an extraordinarily tiny scale. One TeV is the equivalent energy of motion of a flying mosquito.
- Some physicists have wondered whether the LHC will produce minute black holes and nasty (but so far entirely theoretical) phenomena called strangelets that would reduce Earth to a lump of hot, strange matter. CERN says any black holes would be so weak that they could not exert sufficient gravitational force to pull in surrounding matter. As for strangelets, CERN points out that Earth is battered by cosmic rays of much higher energy intensities, but the planet is still here.
- The price tag for building the LHC is put at 6.03 billion Swiss francs (A$6.5 billion), two-thirds of which went into materials and a third into paying for an army of thousands of physicists, engineers and technicians to design and install it.
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why?
They are looking for strings-to support string theory…the missing link to understanding the universe in its entiredy. If the colliding atoms release strings found inside the atoms…they will have what they need to complete the universal theory, and put it into one single equation that governs all laws of the universe. Its called the theory of everything…but they are missing one piece. They think that piece is strings found inside atoms, but have yet to prove it..this will prove it..they hope.
It was my understanding they are looking for the Higgs Boson, along with any other interesting particles that may turn up.
no not at all
higgs boson is closer but still not even a good answer
Higgs Boson is actually something that they’re hoping will come out of the LHC, but it’s certainly not the reason it’s built. This collider will hopefully show us some new particles.
If you can look at the LHC and say: “why” then you are a religious nut or an art major.
Go read a book.
That’s going to be my new e-mail sig.
My gosh, no wonder the world is in the state it is.
The “HIGGS” Boson, a/k/a The “God Particle” is exactly what CERN is trying to isolate. They will be working to create mini big bangs.
THIS CERN venture could spell disaster for the whole of the UNIVERSE and is not a playing, speculating matter. THERE is substantial risk involved in this endeavor of CERN’s and everyone on this planet should be aware of it.
“The “STRING THEORY” or the “THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (“TOE”)needs no proof outside of the “M” THEORY! STRINGS have been proved. M Theory validates and explains the String Theory as well as the “Singularity” or better known as the “BIG BANG,” thus we now have CERN using those very theories in trying to isolate the HIGGS BOSON!
If you do not know what you are posting about PLEASE DO NOT SPECULATE. I can tell none of YOU have done more than surf the web, barely reading the materials or researching the sited information. IT SEEMS YOU all have done nothing but look at pictures as you go along.
string theory has not been proved. if it had been proved they would already have the “TOE”. string theory is improbable there are other theories out there that are more logical then string theory. all string theory is, is a bunch of people trying to come up with an answer same with religion. they cant even come up with logical reasons why string theory would work.
If the world IS unmade, it will happen pretty quickly. Pretty hard to wrap ‘God’ around man making the mistake that will end everything.
Anyway, there isn’t sufficient time nor matter within the vacuous accelerator to nurture a black hole into being. As for the other ‘Happy Accidents’ that could occur (read: mistakes, ie. strangelets,) there are far worse things which we do to our earth, and each OTHER, everyday, and not in the name of science or progress.
Anyway, if you have faith in God, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about, right? The end has been determined in your eyes. If you don’t have faith, or this makes you question the end times (or try to rationalize them.. hopefully not,) just remember: we have to die eventually, it’s the fate of all ‘life’… and maybe that which comes after us will do a better job.
~
-B.
There’s a line from the musical Avenue Q that works here: “If baby bird gets pushed from nest and flies away, good for baby! If baby bird no fly, and hit head on rock, and get eaten by cat, then he learn to do better next time!”
agreed, well said hehe.
If the “strangelets” do consume everything, you have to wonder, is this the first time? This may have been tried before, not like we’d have record of it
.
Out of curiosity, how do they know this all-consuming phenomenon exists? Seems like if it was a world-ending event that it’d be another unproven idea.
Asking why is a very important question, it’s the reason LHC was built, it’s the reason science itself exists. Anyone who insults someone for asking why sounds more like the religious nut to me. “Why do we exist?” “cause god said it so, don’t ask more questions.” <– You sound kind of like that.
Its so fully to read what people who have but a tiny amount the knowledge of the subject post on it.
Yes, CERN is trying to ‘prove’ the Higgs Boson
No, there really is NO substantial risk.
Strings have been proven… My ass! Strings are as hypothetical as they could possibly be. Unless of course you and your fragile little mind could perceive 10 dimensions. Let alone the 12 others added by super-string theory.
You are one hell of a speculator.
I used to think that atheists only bickered on religious websites… But now I can see that it’s simply what they do! Thank you stumbleupon!
“I used to think that atheists only bickered on religious websites…” is an interesting comment to make, since most of the “bickering” seems to be about definitions and whether or not strings and membranes are facts, fiction or hypothesis (read: testable phenomena) and not about God, deities or any of the other philosophical arguments atheism would entail. I don’t know if you believe in a deity or not, but, point of fact: theists argue too, and on all manner of forums, not just websites and when the religious argue, people sometimes try to prove their point at the end of gun or sword point or with threats of eternal damnation in Hell.
Back to the topic: would a physicist correct me if I’m wrong? I thought M-theory was an extension of string theory to make the mathematics work. I also thought strings and membranes while proved mathematically are still hypothetical constructs because they haven’t been directly observed. I obviously have a weak, “National Geographic Channel” understanding of this so please help an ignorant out!!!
-Ruhal Hazim
OH MY LIFE!! If this is the way physicists of the 21st century ‘discuss’ their opinions/theorys (Yes I used the ‘t’ word) then there isnt much hope for the world really is there?! I came across this page when seeing what I can find out about this LHC, and am dissapointed to see that some of the (potentially) best brains of our time are arguing the toss over wether religion or science rules, And what the definition of a theory is and also wether or not strings exist. Unfortunately it seems that until it can be proved there will always be people on the net arguing about it rather than getting of their fat arses and doing something towards finding out what the ‘truth’ is. I am just an ordinary 22 yr old lady living in the UK, That didnt go to Uni, and has a boring 9-5 job, but am one thats fascinated by Physics and everything that is happening in the world of physics, but its sites/people like this that are making me question the amount of time I spend studying this and wonder if there is something that doesnt involve egotistical idiots wasting there time, as I believe I now have by taking the time to write this.
I went on this site because one of my coworkers walked by my desk and told me the earth was going to end on September 10th because France is going to fire up an atom smashing machine. Thank God I found this site. If this site’s chat room is a sample of the people running this death machine in France I am relieved that I will not have to watch the Yankees not make the postseason.
FIRE IT UP FRENCHIE!!!
here here
LHC is a tool for scientist to verify their theories, and it costs billions of dollars/euros !
Who pays that ? You me.
What do they find ? They improve their theory of physics, but it’s only theory. It’s like mathematics.
So it’s billions of dollars poured in a big “SHOW”, kind of huge fireworks.
The black holes and other particles produced by the LHC are way too small to be contained in Cern. The operation of the LHC for decades will contaminate Earth irrevocably with those particles.
Marie Curie, for instance, was certainly the most knowledgeable person about radiation of her time. But she was entirely oblivious to the contamination of her own body by what she studied. Up to now her original papers and even her cookbook are considered too dangerous to be touched with bare hands.
Now, those scientists who have assessed the safety of the LHC for sure are the most knowledgeable of our time. But then again they may not know a thing about the risks posed by their experiments.
Here we go again, the “apple of knowledge” how god did it, is presented to us. Will we bite it ?
olaf ciachowski
Even if the context of the comments is not exactly what people came to read or if they thought that different scientific minds would chat amicably over an almost 10 billion dollar project, well at least this is further information. I would like the banter to continue because it motivates more minds to join in. This is such a complex subject that I dont think there is a complete RIGHT definition for the be all end all matter of the subject, ha MATTER LOL . Alright so from further coversation right, wrong, or indifferent further content will be spawned so please by all means I would like to hear any and all input including educated guesses, this is extremely intresting. Thanks William
Monday September 1, 2008, 6:51 am
I am most concerned about the LHC 2009+ program schedule (once financed) at CERN. A pre-planned decade 2009-2019 of precision energy upgrades, and especially the ALICE heavy Lead (Pb) ion collision experiments, which create hyper-density luminosities (super-dense plasma glow fields of energy). At 14 trillion electron volts (TeV) could become what Einstein and several other scientists noted, a ‘boundary layer’ of gravitational reaction at an unknown energy level. A gravitational curvature leading into a compression singularity vortex; thus producing an expanding quantum wormhole known as the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. The quantum wormhole has a brother/sister relationship to the blackhole formations. Stephen Hawking has studied both intensely, and is currently uncertain in regard to ‘Hawking Radiation’, and it’s dissipation effects upon stabilizing micro-blackholes (MBH) or similar type quantum wormholes! Opponents of these warnings would like to pretend this is no more dangerous than two flashlights turned toward each other, but fortunately there are not that many who are naive. The LHC has been designed and built upon the current interpretations of the ‘Standard Model’, and these experiments are designed to test that model! Within the ocean of mathematical conjecture that has been overlaid upon the ‘Standard Model’, if there are any miscalculations or subtle misinterpretations, then your guess becomes as good as any current scientific guess available, as to what these outcomes shall be!!!
Imagine for a moment – and this isn’t even too far fetched -that humans had once before many many light-years ago already invented an LHC that went terribly wrong, created a black hole and swallowed up the whole of the universe.
By then as we have now, space stations and what seem to us – alien ships – were also actually in production and used to escape by some of the humans then, as we have now and those humans were even more brilliant than us now and thus those humans took the time to take enough care to have hidden the Higgs boson (God Matter) from future humans (us now). Then as we know, evolution is a circle and we have strageley come back to square 1 – and thus a square can be infact a circle as is the construction of the LHC tunnel? If this is true then we are going around in circles as we have known for years and years and lightyears too.
Euge – Australia
im no science expert or anything but i think this is the best experiment to have come from man kind.
everything that has been on the news has just been to scare people etc etc. if people actually read the articles from scientists they might understand.
THE TABLOIDS ARE WRITTEN FROM RUMOURS
everyone knows that.
but i just want to say a massive well done to everyone involved!
and….
if we do all die then, so what were all dead!! new life can begin.
good luck
x
why would someone have to b religous or an art major to ask why? maybe ppl look at this machine and ask why would u build a machine that could possible destroy life on this planet just so u can look at some particles….these scientists need to put away there protractors and get LAID!! they just wanna build this thing that could possibly kill us cuz they were always shuved in lockers in highschool with there underwear up there ass…they probly wanna destroy mankind cuz of those memories….DONT TRUST SCIENTISTS..LOL
I agree with euge. But you’ve gotta wonder what those people on the space stations/ships are thinking as they drift about aimlessly looking up/down/into us: probably something along the lines of “oh shit oh shit oh shit, we shudda curbed their enthusiasm early, when they just messing about with fire”
everything uses a burn to be alive, to move. what if there is an example of something different? something that doesnt need to burn stuff. things also find new and quicker ways of burnig stuff. ending up with an ashtray universe. here is the ending ,IT GOES OUT FIRE ALLWAYS DOES!!!!
nicole in ramona
Curiosity and why not? Its part of our human nature.
a microscopic black hole has enough gravity to swallow a very small particle and the second and so on,black holes have so much density inside them that they have enough power to swallow more then some tiny particles of matter.scientists still didn’t say nothing upon this,nor didn’t they give solutions in case of microscopic black holes being created.they are just kids playing in comparison with the complexity of the universe
and the human being should be a protector of the earth.I understand accepting the risk when there is an emergency situation with no other way to be solved ,yes you take the risk.But you don’t play russian rullette with the earth which is infinite times more important then the scientist’s diploma and whatever they want to prove.what can you discover that is more important then life itself?who are they to take the risk for the entire humanity,born and unborn?AND WHY DO WE LET THEM?
“No, there really is NO substantial risk.”
do explain the non-risk of black holes.
u can’t
a black hole has one of the biggest densities in the universe, and it’s gravity force it is big therefore can suck in a small rock it’s size,and most of the theories say they expand after this.those scientists play with a theory and they are speculators also.like you.like many others but you don’t like the word because you like to think of your-self as being all-knowing.
and i bet you don’t wanna see how fragile your body will be when a tiny black hole will meet MATTER
Don’t be silly, WTF!
Anonymous posts to a web site by anyone willing to pass comment is hardly a history of the “best brains of our time arguing the toss over whether religion or science rules”.
I’d argue that those with even a nominally higher intelligence instantly see the frivolity of attempting any sort of serious discussion in such an indistinct forum.
well, we’re still here?
That’s because there was a big explosion last year and it was called off so that the magnets could be replaced and excuses made about error in calculations…
New start-up date November 2009.
I personally don’t know exactyly what’s going on here. I was trying to read the general public’s perspective, but all I’m reading is a childish arguement. It sounds like you people need to stop arguing like a bunch of kids. All of you seem to want to show how smart you are, but in doing so you are showing how immature you are. Also, I would like to add… I understand that some may not believe in God, but what’s the point of making fun of somone’s belief?
Dooms day device! 12/21/2012 Jeopardizing the life of the world. Brain washed public out to prove they can die and title anyone who misenterperts them as crazy!
Im sure everyone has heard that the first attempt at this project was compromised by an unexpected shutdown, correct? Don’t you think it is HIGHLY IRONIC that something that can potentially destroy us was shut down? Some speculate that, in actualtity, time travelers may have shut it down in attempt at a warning for mankind; the potential harm it may cause to us…. THINK ON THAT
the theory wasn’t that time travelers came back in time to save mankind, it was that the higgs-boson is “abhorrent to nature” and will therefore create particles when it is created which travel backward in time in an attempt to kill their own grandfathers, so to speak. but although this theory is interesting, it isn’t very well supported by, you know, actual research.
It sure looked like one…
Very close to the LHC too – even though the russians claimed it was their rocket…how many rockets have you seen with no fire tail?
Love to hear your comments…
visitor
This is now confirmed as a new Russian missile launch gone wrong.
See television discussion here http://is.gd/5j5zZ
Cheers
Editor, COSMOS
No wonder ur a religion and art major, coz u cant think of anything beyond some paradoxic and conservative subjects like religion and art. I m quiet certain that because you havnt seen the rest of the world other than ur religion n art, u probably jst dont have any clue that beofre your art and religion was born and come into practice, these things in nature has been happening always, and it is the one and only Science that is trying to study that.Do you even havd any idea how dumm you prove yourself saying you are going to die with an particle eperiment of Physics..J Christ, m so surprised that why people like you even browse site like this.. All u need to do is read ur religious book and go to church or whatevr n pray n live happily.
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