The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is due to be switched on at 08:30 BST on Wednesday.
Be afraid, be very afraid. (Just kidding, it should be perfectly safe)
There has been a lot of hype surrounding this series of experiments (there are 3 main experimental stations based around the 27km particle accelerator (which the particles will travel around 11,000 times a second before being collided)). Most of the hype has been concerning the fact it could suddenly destroy the world through a killer stranglet scenario (strange matter breaking down all existing matter in the world). One of the leading experts who is concerned that the team at CERN have not adequately calculated the risk involved is Dr Adrian Kent, a theoretical physicist at the university of Cambridge. Experts agree that they cannot rule out a degree of risk, but that risk is generally considered to be so slight that there is no need for alarm (an argument which prompted Dr Kent to pose the question "how improbable does a cataclysm have to be to warrant proceeding with an experiment?" - which is a very good question if you ask me).
The primary aim of the LHC is to verify and advance the standard model, primarily by discovery of the elusive Higgs particle (the particle counterpart to the Higgs field, which has never been detected, but is believed to give mass to some particles). Other aims include, discovery of new and unexpected particles that may tell us more about the origins of the universe in the very early stages of the Big Bang and potentially discovery of the graviton, which would give a lot more weight (if you'll pardon the pun) to String theory. Any way you look at it, they're likely to find something interesting, they're going to be gathering nearly 30TB of data every day, something in there's gotta be interesting.
Some people are really set against this experiment taking place:
What are peoples opinions of this massive and potentially apocalyptic experiment?
(I am well aware there is another (very old - yet recently active) thread about this in Everything Else - this is supposed to be one for more serious discussion of it, though that may well prove to be a vain hope)
Be afraid, be very afraid. (Just kidding, it should be perfectly safe)
There has been a lot of hype surrounding this series of experiments (there are 3 main experimental stations based around the 27km particle accelerator (which the particles will travel around 11,000 times a second before being collided)). Most of the hype has been concerning the fact it could suddenly destroy the world through a killer stranglet scenario (strange matter breaking down all existing matter in the world). One of the leading experts who is concerned that the team at CERN have not adequately calculated the risk involved is Dr Adrian Kent, a theoretical physicist at the university of Cambridge. Experts agree that they cannot rule out a degree of risk, but that risk is generally considered to be so slight that there is no need for alarm (an argument which prompted Dr Kent to pose the question "how improbable does a cataclysm have to be to warrant proceeding with an experiment?" - which is a very good question if you ask me).
The primary aim of the LHC is to verify and advance the standard model, primarily by discovery of the elusive Higgs particle (the particle counterpart to the Higgs field, which has never been detected, but is believed to give mass to some particles). Other aims include, discovery of new and unexpected particles that may tell us more about the origins of the universe in the very early stages of the Big Bang and potentially discovery of the graviton, which would give a lot more weight (if you'll pardon the pun) to String theory. Any way you look at it, they're likely to find something interesting, they're going to be gathering nearly 30TB of data every day, something in there's gotta be interesting.
Some people are really set against this experiment taking place:
I'm all for this experiment and care very little about the minuscule risks involved. I'd love to see some of the most fascinating physical theories of our age verified.BBC wrote:
In March, a complaint requesting an injunction against the LHC's switch-on was filed before the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii by seven plaintiffs.
What are peoples opinions of this massive and potentially apocalyptic experiment?
(I am well aware there is another (very old - yet recently active) thread about this in Everything Else - this is supposed to be one for more serious discussion of it, though that may well prove to be a vain hope)
