The World's Biggest Science Experiment
LHC
Today, scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, began operating the much anticipated Large Hadron Collider. Known for being the world's largest particle accelerator, this 17 mile long tunnel took 14 years to build and cost 9 billion dollars. If all goes as planned, the collider will accelerate particles at over 99% the speed of light! This amazing capability should theoretically enable scientists to recreate conditions like those immediately following the Big Bang. Scientists hope that the LHC will help solve some of physics greatest mysteries, such as the existence of the Higgs boson and possibly even the existence of other dimensions . If you would like to learn more about some of the exciting questions physicists are hoping to answer with the help of the LHC, you might want to check out The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene or The God Particle: if the universe is the answer, what is the question? by Leon Lederman.
Comments
I am so excited about the potential outcomes of this amazing experiment! I am also amazed at the sheer brain power these scientists have. I can't wait to see what happens!
I am excited about the LHC too, although I am also anxious. Who knows what the scientists will discover? This is an uncharted country. And quantum physics tends to surprise at every turn!
All I'm saying is if this collider does create a black hole, then it better be a better black hole than the lame one in the 1979 Disney film Black Hole, but I'm not holding my breath for anything better than the black hole in Event Horizon, either. Also, I hope it doesn't destroy the world.
The Elegant Universe has been on my "to read" list for a while now. Thanks for reminding me to get started on this book!
If I wake up compressed to a speck of infinitely dense matter, I will be displeased.