Posted on 11/08/2010 9:22:04 AM PST by lbryce
The latest experiment at CERN went ahead despite warnings by a group called Heavy Ion Alert that it could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction that might destroy the Earth.
The reaction created temperatures a million times hotter than the centre of the Sun, which have not been reached since the first billionths of a second following the Big Bang.
This was expected to cause atomic particles such as protons and neutrons to melt, producing a "soup" of matter in a state previously unseen on Earth.
Scientists, including British particle physicists, will now study the particles in the hope of discovering what holds atoms together and gives them their mass.
The collisions were produced by firing lead ions – atoms with their electrons removed – at incredible speeds in opposite directions around the LHC's underground tunnel at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, near Geneva.
The heavyweight particle collisions follow seven months of earlier experiments crashing protons – which are 200 times lighter than lead ions – at near-light speeds.
Dr David Evans, of Birmingham University, said on Sunday: "We are thrilled with the achievement. The collisions generated mini Big Bangs and the highest temperatures and densities ever achieved in an experiment.
"This process took place in a safe, controlled environment generating incredibly hot and dense subatomic fireballs with temperatures of over ten trillion degrees – a million times hotter than the centre of the Sun."
He added: "At these temperatures even protons and neutrons, which make up the nuclei of atoms, melt resulting in a hot dense soup of quarks and gluons known as a Quark-Gluon Plasma.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Silliness and conjecture.
Headline is deceptive. If you read the article, they created conditions predicted to have existed shortly after the big bang. Like all infinite regressions, as you get closer the energy required to create the state becomes infinitely higher. They didn’t claim to have recreated the big band.
Unforgettable novel.
LOL! I hope you had a good Large Hadron collider in your household to mitigate the hypervelocity back-scatter there!
Too bad we no longer have an Edison or Bell where we can stick all these scientists together to make stuff we can all use - Like tires that last as long as the car, or oil that lasts as long as the engine... or crops you can grow in your back yard that will keep your family in free food all year round.
Recreate the big bands? Now THERE"s something I could really get behind. Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw - I love those guys. That is definitely my kind of music. What? You meant "big bang" not "big band"? Oh....nevermind.
“What kind of thermometers measure 10 trillion degrees?”
Very expensive ones.
good one.....I meant the comment....
plus or minus 1 million degrees.....
They checked under the Aspelund, on top of the Leksvik AND behind the Smogen:
“The source advised that they had searched under the Aspelund, on top of the Leksvik and even down the back of the Smogen (the containment fields) but were unable to locate the missing black hole.”
What more do you want?
Baker!
Is the Bun-Boy still open?
I don’t know,You’ll have to ask Barney Frank that question.
Plasma is so cool. Missing man made singularities, not so much..
“What kind of thermometers measure 10 trillion degrees?”
Very expensive ones.”
Rectal.
Fortunately, the test spawned an infinite amount of parallel universes, and then collapsed the ones that weren’t destroyed into what is now our local universe.
“atomic particles such as protons and neutrons to melt”
Oh yes! Tell me more about how ELEMENTARY particles melt!
Frankly.......I agree and I’ve concluded.....it’s all a load of crap! They built the damn thing knowing damn good and well it wouldn’t actually “do” anything except make a big whirring noise and shake a little bit for the observers. Then they can report whatever it is they want to report.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.