Large Hadron Collider

[Effect]

THE END COULD BE TOMORROW!!!

The Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24556999/?GT1=43001

Video: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&vid=18a95cd0-8523-4fb8-95cd-38c8c436f927

Will the Large Hadron Collider save the world, or destroy it?

As the atom-smasher at Europe's CERN research center is readied for its official startup near Geneva on Wednesday, researchers might wish that the general public was captivated by the quest for the Higgs boson, the search for supersymmetric particles and even the evidence for extra dimensions.

But if the feedback so far is any guide, the real headline-grabber is the claim that the world's most powerful particle-smasher could create microscopic black holes that some fear would gobble up the planet.

The black-hole scenario is even getting its day in court: Critics of the project have called for the suspension of work on the European collider until the scenario receives a more thorough safety review, filing separate legal challenges in U.S. federal court and the European Court of Human Rights.

The strange case of the planet-eating black hole serves as just one example showing how grand scientific projects can lead to a collision between science fiction and science fact. The hubbub also has led some to question why billions of dollars are being spent on a physics experiment so removed from everyday life.

[Seffylight]

"The hubbub also has led some to question why billions of dollars are being spent on a physics experiment so removed from everyday life."

I hate stupid people.

[kevlarman]

THE END COULD BE TOMORROW!!!

no it can't, 450GeV collisions have been happening in other colliders for years, you'll have to wait for the 9TeV collisions for your potential world ending black hole (even though higher energy collisions happen in the upper atmosphere everyday)

[St. Anger]

Even if a black hole was created it wouldn't even have the energy to power a lightbulb. It would also decay very rapidly there's nothing to worry about.

[Taiyo.uk]

How much energy do the particles from the mass driver have?

[sticks]

lol effect the world is not going to end. . .youll have to wait till we let snake out of his cage

[mooseberry]

This happens all the time. Nothing bad will happen.

[Winter]

Meh, worst that could happen is Switzerland blowing up or Europe having a power outage. xD

[Amanieu]

You do realise that even if you take the whole earth you won't have enough mass to start a proper black hole. It is possible, but very improbable that that some micro-black holes could be created, and as Anger said, it would evaporate very quickly.

[Kaleo]

The Hadron Collider isn't designed to make black holes. It's designed to re-create the Big Bang. The possible micro black holes that may occur will, as has been previously mentioned, will last for half a nanosecond and possible cause the machine to collapse in on itself.

I hate stupid people.

[Lava Croft]

I haven't read the entire thread, so I hope this wasn't linked already:

http://kotaku.com/5047699/only-one-man-can-save-us-from-the-large-hadron-collider

[Paradox]

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/10/1253226

[your face]

yay, the world didn't get ated, whoopedeedoo.

[Taiyo.uk]

but they no has smashed protons yet - they jus maek dem spin round teh tube n stuffs.

According to this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7604293.stm , the people at CERN intend to produce the first collisions in a few days time.

[wannabe]

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/2000sg344.html

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/

Visit these websites.

[Lava Croft]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/terrible-news-gordon-freeman-spotted-near-large-hadron-collider/

I am starting to feel a little bit queezy nao.

[Plague]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/terrible-news-gordon-freeman-spotted-near-large-hadron-collider/

I am starting to feel a little bit queezy nao.

Everyone had better start looking for their crowbar.

[+ OPTIMUS +]

dudes, in this case we are examining systems that have components who proven us that are far beyond to our understandings.

[Tycho]

+Opti+ I haz hard tiemz understandingz your englishunz and tekstingz

also: Has the LHC destroyed the Earth?

[+ OPTIMUS +]

I sayz that El3ctrownz and Pr00t00wnz and Newbtr0wnz are all.....: HadrownZ00Rz.

buttz:

we 4llrDY newnz sm4ll00rz P4Rt1CellZ liek QUAk3z00Rz and tH31Rz ANITqu4K3z00rZ.

saw:

Wii m1gh7 suXxXxXxX if 4LL0FV5 wanna tri3333z to check the REEZooN uw l1V3 as we R X'em-mining t3h th1nG th4T w3 fund OuT 4 URs3lV3Z.

:-)

[Syntac]

My eyes hurt.

[Bissig]

My brain hurtz.

[Winter]

+Opti+ I haz hard tiemz understandingz your englishunz and tekstingz

also: Has the LHC destroyed the Earth?

Someone tell me when the site says "YES". xD

[==Troy==]

+Opti+ I haz hard tiemz understandingz your englishunz and tekstingz

also: Has the LHC destroyed the Earth?

Actually, the LHC was not ran at full power yet, and they were not creating a blackhole there.

kevlarman, the space particles (mesons etc) do not posses such energy densities to create a local backhole. There was no proven observation done on the blackholes "evaporating", and only secondary data gives a chance to "guess".

Hopkins has a mathematical model of a blackhole showing that it will emmit photons, but there was no direct experiment done.

Personally I am quite sure that nothing will happen. But it is indeed a place where the science is at the boundary of "we dont know" statement.

P.S. although I am not specialising in astrophysics, so I might be wrong as well.

[mooseberry]

I'm glad I survived. And who allowed Freeman on site?

[Bissig]

What I've heard so far is that any blackhole emits energy and thus will evaporate given proper time. Which in the case of a regular blackhole extends beyond the boundaries of our universes existence. A tiny, tiny, tiny blackhole on the other hand does not possess such endurance and evaporates quite fast. This of course in theory. Blackholes are not amongst those objects that are easy to study.

[+ OPTIMUS +]

shortly: we are now examining hadrons.
hadrons are the elephatns of the subject we are discussing...

[==Troy==]

The thing is that the doomsday is NOT a launch of the LHC. It will only be used at it's maximum power in the beginning of 2009. They did not do any serious experiments with it yet. The main question is IF, if there will be a blackhole formed or not (if they will manage the energydensity required to form a blackhole with radius larger than the particle they are working with).

The blackholes emmiting energy is a theory, with little experimental data.

even quoting from wiki:
"If Hawking's theory of black hole radiation is correct then black holes are expected to emit a thermal spectrum of radiation, and thereby lose mass, because accord..."

[Ellohir]

You all know that you are talking about "black holes" like it they were normal when they are only theoretical, right? Black holes is just a weird solution for and ecuation, no one has ever seen one (except on films). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole

I mean... People never take serius about white holes ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hole ) just because they don't appear on films. They just think: OMFG thats hilarious, white hole, what a nonsense.

I just hope that, if you are really trying to talk about this, you know a bit of relativism (for black holes stuff) and quantum (for subparticles collision) physics, and that it is really difficult to join both.

[Rocinante]