Well, if they do accidentally create a mini black hole, we won’t know about it for months, perhaps even years.
The particle would head off in whichever direction its initial momentum sends it - through whatever is in its path. For the most part, zipping right through walls, SUV’s or whatever and heading into space. As gravity acts slowly to slow it down, and eventually it will loop back around...
For the most part - it will be so small it will even zip through molecules and atoms - right through the space between the electron cloud and the neutrons/protons in the center. Every once in a while, it will run into something, swallowing it up. Becoming slightly larger.
That process will continue. The tiny, undetectible black hole zooming around in some sort of earth orbit. Slowly growing.
Eventually, it will grow to the point where it will begin to slow, and more quickly gobble up other matter.
When it reaches a certain size, we’ll notice it. It will begin to have detectible effects on satellites. We’ll realize then — the assurances from the EU scientists were not correct.
But there will be nothing at that point, which can be done.
The black hole will slowly approach earth. Once it slows and reaches the surface, it will sink to the center of the planet, and begin to grow.
Probably at that point, earth will last a few more hours.
The EU is being profoundly irresponsible, IMHO.
I think this is all about one-upping America - and they couldn’t care less about the risk.
It’s just about ego.
Nothing more.
The earth is routinely hit with very high energy cosmic rays, beyond what even the LHC can generate.
We’ve lasted 4 billion years under that bombardment. LHC isn’t going to be able to generate anything any more dangerous.
And the other thing is that black holes gradually decay, as Stephen Hawking showed. The smaller they evaporate.
Black holes that small would evaporate more quickly than they could absorb matter (i.e. Hawking radiation). I don’t think we have too much to be concerned about here.
The idea that such a micro black hole would be stable “for months, perhaps even years” is preposterous.
Nothing more.
The total energy of the LHC’s “big bang” is actually very, very small. About 0.0002 Joule. That’s 0.00004 calories. The energy required to lift a small apple 0.2 millimeters.