Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
- Thread starter rynner2
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Thank goodness the Daily Mail has published a level-headed article about all of this here
Finally, the end would come, in a disaster of Biblical scale. The Earth would literally start to crack up.
Molten lava would wash over the land and the seas would start to boil.
Mega-hurricanes would level buildings and forests the world over. Eventually, mountains would crumble as the Earth's crust continued to disintegrate.
The fabric of the planet itself would start to disappear, trillions of tonnes of rock, water, air and life sucked into a whirlpool of unimaginable force.
...and my favourite line..
...using the European Convention on human rights to argue that, should the LHC destroy the entire Universe, it would 'violate the right to life and right to private family life'.
It all starts next Wednesday, folks.
Finally, the end would come, in a disaster of Biblical scale. The Earth would literally start to crack up.
Molten lava would wash over the land and the seas would start to boil.
Mega-hurricanes would level buildings and forests the world over. Eventually, mountains would crumble as the Earth's crust continued to disintegrate.
The fabric of the planet itself would start to disappear, trillions of tonnes of rock, water, air and life sucked into a whirlpool of unimaginable force.
...and my favourite line..
...using the European Convention on human rights to argue that, should the LHC destroy the entire Universe, it would 'violate the right to life and right to private family life'.
It all starts next Wednesday, folks.
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"..and, as our very special guest acting as a safe pair of hands to start the whole process, Mr Gordon Brown.."
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feen5
Justified & Ancient
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I find all this doomsday stuff very boring, its not going to happen. In fact i think its a bit arrogent that some people think that we can invent something that not only destroys the earth but the universe as well (reminds me of one Mr Burns best lines in the simpsons 'for years man has yearned to destroy the sun). The same shit was spouted about the first Atomic bomb going off and how it would ignite the atmosphere.
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The Big Bang Machine
Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around Cern's Large Hadron Collider before this vast, 27km long machine is sealed-off and the experiment to create the simulation of a black hole begins.
When it's up and running, it will be capable of creating the conditions that existed just a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Brian joins the scientists who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early universe and solve some of its mysteries.
Broadcast on:BBC Four, 9:00pm Thursday 4th September Duration: 60 minutes
BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00dccnr/
(Professor Brian Cox looks like a Blue Peter presenter, or perhaps a lightweight DJ...!
)
Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around Cern's Large Hadron Collider before this vast, 27km long machine is sealed-off and the experiment to create the simulation of a black hole begins.
When it's up and running, it will be capable of creating the conditions that existed just a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Brian joins the scientists who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early universe and solve some of its mysteries.
Broadcast on:BBC Four, 9:00pm Thursday 4th September Duration: 60 minutes
BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00dccnr/
(Professor Brian Cox looks like a Blue Peter presenter, or perhaps a lightweight DJ...!
)
McAvennie
Justified & Ancient
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Ironic though would it not be if the end of the world came in fiery floods of Biblical apocalyptic lava as a result of scientists attempting to prove the Big Bang - thus disproving God? If he existed I'm sure he'd have a chuckle at the irony over a pint with Nessie, the Tooth Fairy a decent Rangers fan.
Part of me actually quite would like it to cause the end of the world just to wipe the smug, condescending sneer off the face of all the science boffins who have looked down their nose at hysterical concerns of science-numbskulls like myself. Even if it would be cutting off my nose to spite my face somewhat...
Part of me actually quite would like it to cause the end of the world just to wipe the smug, condescending sneer off the face of all the science boffins who have looked down their nose at hysterical concerns of science-numbskulls like myself. Even if it would be cutting off my nose to spite my face somewhat...
PeniG
Justified & Ancient
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The Big Bang does't disprove God. Finding that the universe originated in another mechanism won't prove God. God, pro and con, is the ultimate unfalsifiable proposition. Anything science can demonstrate could be that way because God wants it to be that way; anything science can't make sense of today might be explainable after the next big advance. The people who think science has anything important to say about God don't understand science or religion either one very well. Religous people who are eager to point fingers at scientists or satirists for "attacking God" often display an inability to distinguish between God and their own narrow viewpoints.
I keep seeing references to these sneering scientists and not meeting them, or reading their words, or seeing them on TV. The ones I meet are all delightful geeks having a good time. I think they're like holier-than-thou vegetarians, philandering ministers, and reality-challenged fen - a minority whose sins are warped onto the innocent majority in order to justify the hostility of those who wish to be hostile, for whatever private reason.
My sister's birthday is September 10th. Nobody ever does anything cool like this for my birthday.
I keep seeing references to these sneering scientists and not meeting them, or reading their words, or seeing them on TV. The ones I meet are all delightful geeks having a good time. I think they're like holier-than-thou vegetarians, philandering ministers, and reality-challenged fen - a minority whose sins are warped onto the innocent majority in order to justify the hostility of those who wish to be hostile, for whatever private reason.
My sister's birthday is September 10th. Nobody ever does anything cool like this for my birthday.
escargot
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My SLAC-physicist, Sister Of Perpetual Indulgence son having fun at the Burning Man last week.
I'm hoping the link works. If not I'll have to host it elsewhere as Photobucket isn't working.
I'm hoping the link works. If not I'll have to host it elsewhere as Photobucket isn't working.
escargot
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escargot1 said:
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Interesting diversity of expectations here!
Large Hadron Collider: What will it find?
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 08/09/2008
There is lot of feverish speculation about what will happen when the Large Hadron Collider starts humankind’s biggest effort ever to shed light on the fundamentals of the universe.
Will the Geneva-based effort reveal why most sub-atomic particles have mass (probably signalled by the appearance of something called the Higgs particle)? Will the vast experiment reveal why nature prefers matter over anti-matter? Will it overturn the Standard Model, a collection of theories that embodies all of our current understanding of fundamental particles and forces?
The Telegraph polled the international leaders theoretical physics to give their best guesses about what the sub-atomic secrets the world is about to see unveiled...
Nima Arkani-Hamed, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA:
'I've already bet a year's salary they will find the Higgs particle. There's also a pretty fair chance that they might observe some of the particles that make up the mysterious dark matter in the Universe. Such dark-matter particles may or may not have something to do with supersymmetry. My hunch is that there's a better than evens chance that supersymmetry will show up at the LHC, which would be good as it gives a 'natural' explanation of why gravity is so weak compared with the other fundamental forces. It is also possible that the LHC will shock us by showing that our conventional notions of what constitutes a 'natural explanation' are incorrect.'
Martin Veltman, Nobel Laureate University of Utrecht, Netherlands
'It would not surprise me if the experimenters don't find the Higgs particle. I don't trust the theory behind it. But if it does appear to show up, it will be crucial to check that it behaves as the theory predicts. I would be surprised if supersymmetry were found. I supported the idea when it was first suggested, but I've gradually lost confidence in it, though I might well be wrong. To be sure, if the LHC finds nothing to support supersymmetry, its advocates will just make excuses and keep using it. As for string theory, it's all mumbo jumbo, with no connection with experiment.'
Eva Silverstein, Stanford University, USA
'I'd be extremely puzzled if they don't find the Higgs, but wouldn't be devastated if they didn't come up with evidence for supersymmetry. Some of my intuition comes from string theory, an appealing candidate for a theory of all the forces of nature. According to many - perhaps most - versions of string theory, supersymmetry does not hold good at the energies probed by the LHC, so its discovery might require further explanation from this point of view. On the other hand, supersymmetry fits well with some existing observations, and it will be spectacular to finally learn whether it arises.'
John March-Russell, University of Oxford
'Quite part from the commonly touted LHC predictions, some possible discoveries might even revolutionize technology. For example, our quest for a source of almost unlimited climate-friendly energy might be answered by the creation of exotic unstable, but long-lived, charged particles. Rather like enzymes catalyze chemical reactions in the body, such exotic particles can efficiently catalyze nuclear fusion, obviating the need for the absurdly high temperatures necessary in conventional plasma fusion reactors and stars. It might also turn out that the number of space and time dimensions is ambiguous, rather as a conventional hologram is simultaneously both flat (two-dimensional) and three dimensional.'
Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith, Director-General of CERN 1994-1999 Director of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham
'My hunch is that a Higgs boson will be found (95% probability), and (with 60% probability) supersymmetry. I would only put 5% on more exotic discoveries. If nothing new were found (5% probability?), it would be a little embarrassing for me, who spent years promoting the LHC and getting it funded. Finding nothing would be very surprising and would force a radical rethink, which - if it led to deep new insights - could make it the most exciting outcome of all.'
Garrett Lisi, Freelance physicist, and "surfer dude" who came up with a new theory of everything.
The most likely result from the LHC is detection of a single Higgs particle. This Higgs is required to break the unified symmetry of electroweak forces into the separate electromagnetic and weak forces we see. Many physicists also think it likely that evidence will be found for supersymmetry, strings, or new dimensions -- but I disagree. If the LHC does see multiple new particles, my guess is these will be several different Higgs, compatible with the breaking of a unified symmetry of all forces existing at the smallest distances. Whatever the outcome, it will be very exciting to uncover nature's beauty at this tiny scale.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.j ... ern208.xml
Large Hadron Collider: What will it find?
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 08/09/2008
There is lot of feverish speculation about what will happen when the Large Hadron Collider starts humankind’s biggest effort ever to shed light on the fundamentals of the universe.
Will the Geneva-based effort reveal why most sub-atomic particles have mass (probably signalled by the appearance of something called the Higgs particle)? Will the vast experiment reveal why nature prefers matter over anti-matter? Will it overturn the Standard Model, a collection of theories that embodies all of our current understanding of fundamental particles and forces?
The Telegraph polled the international leaders theoretical physics to give their best guesses about what the sub-atomic secrets the world is about to see unveiled...
Nima Arkani-Hamed, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA:
'I've already bet a year's salary they will find the Higgs particle. There's also a pretty fair chance that they might observe some of the particles that make up the mysterious dark matter in the Universe. Such dark-matter particles may or may not have something to do with supersymmetry. My hunch is that there's a better than evens chance that supersymmetry will show up at the LHC, which would be good as it gives a 'natural' explanation of why gravity is so weak compared with the other fundamental forces. It is also possible that the LHC will shock us by showing that our conventional notions of what constitutes a 'natural explanation' are incorrect.'
Martin Veltman, Nobel Laureate University of Utrecht, Netherlands
'It would not surprise me if the experimenters don't find the Higgs particle. I don't trust the theory behind it. But if it does appear to show up, it will be crucial to check that it behaves as the theory predicts. I would be surprised if supersymmetry were found. I supported the idea when it was first suggested, but I've gradually lost confidence in it, though I might well be wrong. To be sure, if the LHC finds nothing to support supersymmetry, its advocates will just make excuses and keep using it. As for string theory, it's all mumbo jumbo, with no connection with experiment.'
Eva Silverstein, Stanford University, USA
'I'd be extremely puzzled if they don't find the Higgs, but wouldn't be devastated if they didn't come up with evidence for supersymmetry. Some of my intuition comes from string theory, an appealing candidate for a theory of all the forces of nature. According to many - perhaps most - versions of string theory, supersymmetry does not hold good at the energies probed by the LHC, so its discovery might require further explanation from this point of view. On the other hand, supersymmetry fits well with some existing observations, and it will be spectacular to finally learn whether it arises.'
John March-Russell, University of Oxford
'Quite part from the commonly touted LHC predictions, some possible discoveries might even revolutionize technology. For example, our quest for a source of almost unlimited climate-friendly energy might be answered by the creation of exotic unstable, but long-lived, charged particles. Rather like enzymes catalyze chemical reactions in the body, such exotic particles can efficiently catalyze nuclear fusion, obviating the need for the absurdly high temperatures necessary in conventional plasma fusion reactors and stars. It might also turn out that the number of space and time dimensions is ambiguous, rather as a conventional hologram is simultaneously both flat (two-dimensional) and three dimensional.'
Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith, Director-General of CERN 1994-1999 Director of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham
'My hunch is that a Higgs boson will be found (95% probability), and (with 60% probability) supersymmetry. I would only put 5% on more exotic discoveries. If nothing new were found (5% probability?), it would be a little embarrassing for me, who spent years promoting the LHC and getting it funded. Finding nothing would be very surprising and would force a radical rethink, which - if it led to deep new insights - could make it the most exciting outcome of all.'
Garrett Lisi, Freelance physicist, and "surfer dude" who came up with a new theory of everything.
The most likely result from the LHC is detection of a single Higgs particle. This Higgs is required to break the unified symmetry of electroweak forces into the separate electromagnetic and weak forces we see. Many physicists also think it likely that evidence will be found for supersymmetry, strings, or new dimensions -- but I disagree. If the LHC does see multiple new particles, my guess is these will be several different Higgs, compatible with the breaking of a unified symmetry of all forces existing at the smallest distances. Whatever the outcome, it will be very exciting to uncover nature's beauty at this tiny scale.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.j ... ern208.xml
feen5
Justified & Ancient
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Have you any references, articles or interviews of these sneering scientists. I can't remember seeing any interview where one of the cern scientists has done anything but calmly and patiently described the project and whats going to happen. In fact considering the abuse and ridicule they have to put up with i'm surprised that they have not reduced themselves to name calling and sneering. I'd like to see how you would feel if your entire lifes work was subject to ridiculous critism and scare mongering.
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Good point, feen.
Informed criticism - good (it contributes to the scientific process).
Ill-informed criticism - bad (it contributes nothing).
It seems to be one of the bad points of modern education that too much emphasis is laid upon encouraging pupils to 'express themselves'. Education, rather than imparting useful information about the world, seems to foster the idea that everybody's opinion is equal to anyone else's.
We probably all have subjects upon which we consider ourselves fairly expert, whether it's gardening, history, engineering or knitting, and we've probably all had a
moment when some know-nothing, like the Harry Enfield character, comes along and says,"You don't want to do that!".
Informed criticism - good (it contributes to the scientific process).
Ill-informed criticism - bad (it contributes nothing).
It seems to be one of the bad points of modern education that too much emphasis is laid upon encouraging pupils to 'express themselves'. Education, rather than imparting useful information about the world, seems to foster the idea that everybody's opinion is equal to anyone else's.
We probably all have subjects upon which we consider ourselves fairly expert, whether it's gardening, history, engineering or knitting, and we've probably all had a
moment when some know-nothing, like the Harry Enfield character, comes along and says,"You don't want to do that!".
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Well, according to this piece LHC scientists get death threatsMcAvennie_ said:
( http://government.zdnet.com/?p=3984 )
he was rather more blunt than that:
“Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the world is a t—.” :shock:
But I think I would get exasperated if people who don't know a quark from a gluon start adding death-threats to their ignorant critiques... 8)
You've got to understand a subject before you can criticise it (or its practioners).
Mind you, certain sections of the press haven't helped, printing ill-informed doomsday scenarios which tend to whip up panic amongst those who don't read the counter-arguments (printed, if at all) in short sentence at the end of such journalist garbage.
McAvennie
Justified & Ancient
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Well as I've stated I don't know anything about what it's all about scientifically, and the semi-conductor who works next to my office assures me it is nothing to worry about. While I do understand that having misinformed dolts continually ask you stupid questions - e.g. how the offside trap works - can be annoying I just feel this guy and a few other instances have, to me, just made the scientists in question come off as rude and arrogant.
Maybe I just have it in for this guy for his crimes against music while a 'rock-star' with D:Ream.
- can be annoying I just feel this guy and a few other instances have, to me, just made the scientists in question come off as rude and arrogant.Maybe I just have it in for this guy for his crimes against music while a 'rock-star' with D:Ream.
ramonmercado
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McAvennie wrote:
Crimes against humanity. They picked the wrong guy as a frontman for this project.
Crimes against humanity. They picked the wrong guy as a frontman for this project.
ramonmercado
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McAvennie_ said:ramonmercado said:
To be fair I don't think Peter Cunnah woulda done any better in allaying my fears
They should have picked Brian May as their PR guy.
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On the hunt for the Higgs boson
The sum of human knowledge could be massively increased on Wednesday - but Professor Stephen Hawking could find himself $100 poorer.
As Cern prepares to switch on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) below the French-Swiss border, the physicist has a bet that it will not find the Higgs boson - the most highly sought-after particle in physics.
Dubbed the "God particle" because it is so crucial to our understanding of the universe, it is thought to give everything its mass.
The most powerful physics experiment ever built, the LHC will re-create the conditions present in the universe just after the Big Bang.
.....
"The LHC will increase the energy at which we can study particle interactions, by a factor of four. According to present thinking, this should be enough to discover the Higgs particle, the particle that gives mass to all the other particles," Professor Hawking told the Today programme.
Previous atom-smashers have failed to find it, but because the LHC is so much more powerful, there is hope that it will succeed. Even a failure, Professor Hawking says, would be exciting, because that would pose new questions about the laws of nature.
"I think it will be much more exciting if we don't find the Higgs. That will show something is wrong, and we need to think again. I have a bet of $100 that we won't find the Higgs."
He believes another important discovery that the experiment could make is superpartners, or particles that should theoretically exist. They are 'supersymmetric partners' to those particles we already know of at present.
"Their existence would be a key confirmation of string theory, and they could make up the mysterious dark matter that holds galaxies together. Whatever the LHC finds, or fails to find, the results will tell us a lot about the structure of the universe," he says.
Some fear the experiment may create a black hole that will tear the Earth apart - there have even been two last-minute legal attempts to stop it - but Professor Hawking dismisses the idea that the LHC is in any way dangerous.
"If the collisions in the LHC produced a micro black hole, and this is unlikely, it would just evaporate away again, producing a characteristic pattern of particles. Collisions at these and greater energies occur millions of times a day in the Earth's atmosphere, and nothing terrible happens."
Parallel universe?
The human race is characterised by an insatiable quest to understand things, and the LHC is an example of our willingness to invest in that quest.
It is however difficult to predict whether it will bring any practical advances in the scale of our lifetime. But the LHC might reveal something completely unexpected about the workings of our universe, and that, says Professor Hawking, is what makes physics so satisfying.
"Throughout history, people have studied pure science from a desire to understand the universe, rather than for practical applications, or commercial gain. But their discoveries have later turned out to have great practical benefits.
"It is difficult to see an economic return from research at the LHC, but that doesn't mean there won't be any."
Asked if he would be able to choose whether the LHC or the space programme is more important in advancing our knowledge of the universe, Professor Hawking says that would be like "asking which of my children I would choose to sacrifice".
"Both the LHC, and the space program, are vital if the human race is not to stultify, and eventually die out. Together they cost less than one tenth of a percent of world GDP. If the human race cannot afford that, it doesn't deserve the epithet, human," he added.
Scientists have spoken, if cautiously, of the experiments at CERN venturing into realms long regarded as those of speculative science fiction - multiple universes, parallel worlds, black holes in space linking different levels of existence.
Professor Hawking says that a parallel universe may be a universe very different to the one we recognise.
"According to the sum over histories idea of Richard Feynman, the universe doesn't just have a single history, as one might think, but it has every possible history, each with its own weight. A few of the histories will contain creatures like me, doing different things, but the vast majority of histories will be very different."
In 1974 Professor Hawking argued that due to quantum effects, primordial black holes created during the Big Bang could "evaporate" by a theoretical process now referred to as Hawking Radiation in which particles of matter would be emitted.
Under this theory, the smaller the size of the micro black hole, the faster the evaporation rate, resulting in a sudden burst of particles as the micro black hole suddenly explodes.
In the past Professor Hawking has joked that if the LHC does creates micro black holes - even if they are rather short-lived ones - it could win him the Nobel prize. However, he now says he does not believe this is something that is imminent.
"If the LHC were to produce little black holes, I don't think there's any doubt I would get a Nobel prize, if they showed the properties I predict. However, I think the probability that the LHC has enough energy to create black holes, is less than 1%, so I'm not holding my breath."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/ne ... 598686.stm
The sum of human knowledge could be massively increased on Wednesday - but Professor Stephen Hawking could find himself $100 poorer.
As Cern prepares to switch on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) below the French-Swiss border, the physicist has a bet that it will not find the Higgs boson - the most highly sought-after particle in physics.
Dubbed the "God particle" because it is so crucial to our understanding of the universe, it is thought to give everything its mass.
The most powerful physics experiment ever built, the LHC will re-create the conditions present in the universe just after the Big Bang.
.....
"The LHC will increase the energy at which we can study particle interactions, by a factor of four. According to present thinking, this should be enough to discover the Higgs particle, the particle that gives mass to all the other particles," Professor Hawking told the Today programme.
Previous atom-smashers have failed to find it, but because the LHC is so much more powerful, there is hope that it will succeed. Even a failure, Professor Hawking says, would be exciting, because that would pose new questions about the laws of nature.
"I think it will be much more exciting if we don't find the Higgs. That will show something is wrong, and we need to think again. I have a bet of $100 that we won't find the Higgs."
He believes another important discovery that the experiment could make is superpartners, or particles that should theoretically exist. They are 'supersymmetric partners' to those particles we already know of at present.
"Their existence would be a key confirmation of string theory, and they could make up the mysterious dark matter that holds galaxies together. Whatever the LHC finds, or fails to find, the results will tell us a lot about the structure of the universe," he says.
Some fear the experiment may create a black hole that will tear the Earth apart - there have even been two last-minute legal attempts to stop it - but Professor Hawking dismisses the idea that the LHC is in any way dangerous.
"If the collisions in the LHC produced a micro black hole, and this is unlikely, it would just evaporate away again, producing a characteristic pattern of particles. Collisions at these and greater energies occur millions of times a day in the Earth's atmosphere, and nothing terrible happens."
Parallel universe?
The human race is characterised by an insatiable quest to understand things, and the LHC is an example of our willingness to invest in that quest.
It is however difficult to predict whether it will bring any practical advances in the scale of our lifetime. But the LHC might reveal something completely unexpected about the workings of our universe, and that, says Professor Hawking, is what makes physics so satisfying.
"Throughout history, people have studied pure science from a desire to understand the universe, rather than for practical applications, or commercial gain. But their discoveries have later turned out to have great practical benefits.
"It is difficult to see an economic return from research at the LHC, but that doesn't mean there won't be any."
Asked if he would be able to choose whether the LHC or the space programme is more important in advancing our knowledge of the universe, Professor Hawking says that would be like "asking which of my children I would choose to sacrifice".
"Both the LHC, and the space program, are vital if the human race is not to stultify, and eventually die out. Together they cost less than one tenth of a percent of world GDP. If the human race cannot afford that, it doesn't deserve the epithet, human," he added.
Scientists have spoken, if cautiously, of the experiments at CERN venturing into realms long regarded as those of speculative science fiction - multiple universes, parallel worlds, black holes in space linking different levels of existence.
Professor Hawking says that a parallel universe may be a universe very different to the one we recognise.
"According to the sum over histories idea of Richard Feynman, the universe doesn't just have a single history, as one might think, but it has every possible history, each with its own weight. A few of the histories will contain creatures like me, doing different things, but the vast majority of histories will be very different."
In 1974 Professor Hawking argued that due to quantum effects, primordial black holes created during the Big Bang could "evaporate" by a theoretical process now referred to as Hawking Radiation in which particles of matter would be emitted.
Under this theory, the smaller the size of the micro black hole, the faster the evaporation rate, resulting in a sudden burst of particles as the micro black hole suddenly explodes.
In the past Professor Hawking has joked that if the LHC does creates micro black holes - even if they are rather short-lived ones - it could win him the Nobel prize. However, he now says he does not believe this is something that is imminent.
"If the LHC were to produce little black holes, I don't think there's any doubt I would get a Nobel prize, if they showed the properties I predict. However, I think the probability that the LHC has enough energy to create black holes, is less than 1%, so I'm not holding my breath."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/ne ... 598686.stm
ramonmercado said:McAvennie_ said:ramonmercado said:
To be fair I don't think Peter Cunnah woulda done any better in allaying my fears
They should have picked Brian May as their PR guy.
No, just, no. The only thing that might be good about a black hole swallowing everything up is that poodle-haired twonk would be first to go, him being stood on top of the LHC playing a guitar solo based on the theme tune for Quantum Leap, which will at least spare the universe anymore unnecessary torture :?
Anyway, it's not being turned up to maximum tomorrow is it, this is just a dry run for when they do end the world in a few months time
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might explain the dreams
Until this afternoon, I didn't know that the LHC was being fired up tomorrow (10 September)--just haven't been keeping up, you know--work and all that.
Anyway, for the last two nights, I've had very disturbing and clear dreams about some device that, in the first dream, I thought was a nuclear weapon. However, in the second dream, I got a good look at it--and it wasn't any sort of weapon I've ever seen. But it did disintegrate and melt things (including people), left a goodly amount of radiation, and caused a shock wave that moved around the world.
So, I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow, although I've never been prescient before. Scared, too, that these dreams may be highly personal and telling me that something's wrong physically.
Or, maybe I watch too much television.
Best to all.
Until this afternoon, I didn't know that the LHC was being fired up tomorrow (10 September)--just haven't been keeping up, you know--work and all that.
Anyway, for the last two nights, I've had very disturbing and clear dreams about some device that, in the first dream, I thought was a nuclear weapon. However, in the second dream, I got a good look at it--and it wasn't any sort of weapon I've ever seen. But it did disintegrate and melt things (including people), left a goodly amount of radiation, and caused a shock wave that moved around the world.
So, I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow, although I've never been prescient before. Scared, too, that these dreams may be highly personal and telling me that something's wrong physically.
Or, maybe I watch too much television.
Best to all.
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They're just switching the LHC on tomorrow, it won't be up to speed, until sometime in October.
I'm not sure why the media is trying to whip up quite so much fear and uncertainty, because it's the media making all this spin, not scientists, or anybody that really seems to understand how it all works. Even the BBC is getting in on the act, with it's LHC switch on countdown bollox and a 'Torchwood Special' on BBC Radio 4, tomorrow, but the LHC has cost quite a lot of money.
Maybe they want to get their money's worth?
I'm not sure why the media is trying to whip up quite so much fear and uncertainty, because it's the media making all this spin, not scientists, or anybody that really seems to understand how it all works. Even the BBC is getting in on the act, with it's LHC switch on countdown bollox and a 'Torchwood Special' on BBC Radio 4, tomorrow, but the LHC has cost quite a lot of money.
Maybe they want to get their money's worth?
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- Aug 7, 2001
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- 54,631
September 10, 2008
CERN scientists switch on the Big Bang machine
Mark Henderson, Science Editor, in Geneva
The biggest and most expensive machine ever built has finally been switched on. At 8.30am UK time, scientists at the CERN particle physics laboratory began their first attempt to fire a beam of particles around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the £3.6bn atom-smasher that will open a new window on the Universe.
The LHC team is initially trying to pass the proton beam around just one of the 27km ring’s eight sectors, to ensure it is properly lined up. A “beam-stopper”, or block, is in place at the end of the first sector, about 3km in, to prevent the particle stream from passing further around the accelerator.
Once the beam is aimed correctly and can be seen passing through the first sector, the team will remove the first beam-stopper, and attempt to fire protons around three-eights of the ring. Over the course of the day, they hope to get it to pass around the entire circuit without touching the sides, and thus to start circulating.
The LHC’s clockwise beam will be inserted first, followed by the anti-clockwise beam with which it will eventually collide to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang.
Lyn Evans, the LHC project leader, started the process at 9.15 local time with the words: “Let’s get started, everybody.”
“We have a beam already at the entrance to the LHC, and in a few minutes we’ll remove the absorber block the beam is hitting, and start taking it around octant-by-octant. We’ll then make any adjustments we need.”
The first beam process took 12 hours when the LHC’s predecessor, the Large Electron-Positron Collider, was switched on. Dr Evans said: “How long it’ll take I don’t know. I hope the LHC will be much faster.”
Robert Aymar, director of Cern, said the day brought a “mixture of pleasure and hope,” in an address to the control room staff immediately before the switch-on.
“Today is a big day for Cern and the LHC. Everything is ready for us to succeed. Bravo everyone, and good luck. It will go well, I’m sure. Thanks to everyone.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 722261.ece
But it'll be about a month befor they start colliding beams, and the thing won't be up to full power until 2010, so the doomsayers should still get plenty of mileage out of the LHC! 8)
CERN scientists switch on the Big Bang machine
Mark Henderson, Science Editor, in Geneva
The biggest and most expensive machine ever built has finally been switched on. At 8.30am UK time, scientists at the CERN particle physics laboratory began their first attempt to fire a beam of particles around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the £3.6bn atom-smasher that will open a new window on the Universe.
The LHC team is initially trying to pass the proton beam around just one of the 27km ring’s eight sectors, to ensure it is properly lined up. A “beam-stopper”, or block, is in place at the end of the first sector, about 3km in, to prevent the particle stream from passing further around the accelerator.
Once the beam is aimed correctly and can be seen passing through the first sector, the team will remove the first beam-stopper, and attempt to fire protons around three-eights of the ring. Over the course of the day, they hope to get it to pass around the entire circuit without touching the sides, and thus to start circulating.
The LHC’s clockwise beam will be inserted first, followed by the anti-clockwise beam with which it will eventually collide to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang.
Lyn Evans, the LHC project leader, started the process at 9.15 local time with the words: “Let’s get started, everybody.”
“We have a beam already at the entrance to the LHC, and in a few minutes we’ll remove the absorber block the beam is hitting, and start taking it around octant-by-octant. We’ll then make any adjustments we need.”
The first beam process took 12 hours when the LHC’s predecessor, the Large Electron-Positron Collider, was switched on. Dr Evans said: “How long it’ll take I don’t know. I hope the LHC will be much faster.”
Robert Aymar, director of Cern, said the day brought a “mixture of pleasure and hope,” in an address to the control room staff immediately before the switch-on.
“Today is a big day for Cern and the LHC. Everything is ready for us to succeed. Bravo everyone, and good luck. It will go well, I’m sure. Thanks to everyone.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 722261.ece
But it'll be about a month befor they start colliding beams, and the thing won't be up to full power until 2010, so the doomsayers should still get plenty of mileage out of the LHC! 8)
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Making progress...
Cern throws switch on largest machine ever built
Live: Scientists at the European particle physics laboratory have switched on their giant particle collider.
09:04 BST
It's a big day here at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory, on the outskirts of Geneva. They have begun switching on their Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle smasher in the world.
The man at the controls is Lyn Evans. He's a charismatic guy, running the show in jeans, white trainers and a stripey short-sleeved shirt. Yesterday, when I met up with him, he was in shorts and a tee-shirt covered in equations.
The beam is now more than half way around the Large Hadron Collider. Lyn said this morning that it might take two hours to get the beam around if everything went well. So far, all is going fantastically smoothly though.
"We are making very good progress. The beam is now half way round the LHC," said Evans. "At this rate, let's hope that within an hour, we'll get the beam the whole way round the LHC."
There are four giant detectors around the ring, where ultimately two opposing beams will be crashed into one another. So far, the beam has gone past two of these detectors. One of the detectors has already picked up emissions from the beam striking a block that was put in place to halt the beam.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/ ... n.collider
Cern throws switch on largest machine ever built
Live: Scientists at the European particle physics laboratory have switched on their giant particle collider.
09:04 BST
It's a big day here at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory, on the outskirts of Geneva. They have begun switching on their Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful particle smasher in the world.
The man at the controls is Lyn Evans. He's a charismatic guy, running the show in jeans, white trainers and a stripey short-sleeved shirt. Yesterday, when I met up with him, he was in shorts and a tee-shirt covered in equations.
The beam is now more than half way around the Large Hadron Collider. Lyn said this morning that it might take two hours to get the beam around if everything went well. So far, all is going fantastically smoothly though.
"We are making very good progress. The beam is now half way round the LHC," said Evans. "At this rate, let's hope that within an hour, we'll get the beam the whole way round the LHC."
There are four giant detectors around the ring, where ultimately two opposing beams will be crashed into one another. So far, the beam has gone past two of these detectors. One of the detectors has already picked up emissions from the beam striking a block that was put in place to halt the beam.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/ ... n.collider