Large Hadron Collider - Higgs Boson found!!

[Mexicola]

How do we not have a topic about this?!?I mean seriously, it's a 17 mile long underground particle accelerator which looks like a freakin' stargate and tomorrow morning they are firing the baby up to see if they can recreate part of the Big Bang and figure out what the hell actually happened. I mean seriously - WHAT THA?!?!?

This is one topic where the more I find out about it, the less I feel I understand. Anyone on here got a degree in Particle Physics or something and care to guide me through in idiot-proof language what the actual feck this is all about? I sat through an hour-long documentary on the BBC the other night and was wonderfully baffled! There is something amazingly awesome about being so incredibly and utterly out of your depth about physics, yet listening to a range of Professors clearly peeing themselves with excitement and yet all the while basically being told that - at least in theory - at 07:30 tomorrow morning this thing could end the World - neigh, the Universe. OK, probably not, but still.....

....ROCKS!!

[Fredd-E]

The following picture says it all:

[Aesthetics]

The following picture says it all:

Without the glasses though.

[Aesthetics]

I read an article in the National Geographic magazine, all I know that I'm amazed how they do all this. Don't understand the technical part of it either (who does anyway?) but it's s huge step in technology.

[thedisavowed]

Gordon Fredd-Eman!!!

** typo fixed by Fredd-E**

[turquoise70]

[Mexicola]

The (very small bit) I kind of understand, is they are going to send photons speeding faster and faster around the track. They use super-cooled electro-magnets to force the photons to speed up to 99.9% of the speed of light. So these photons are circling a 17 mile long pipe 11,000 times every second. One set of photons are sent in one direction, with a second set going the other way. Once they have em going quick enough, they smash the two beams together and then see what happens.

As the two beams collide it apparently creates a high-energy reaction which simulates what happened a split second after the Big Bang. Several particles could be created, but the one they are really hoping to see for the first time is the Higgs Boson, which at the moment only exists in theory. Now THIS is the bit that I really don't understand. Apparently, the Higgs Boson (also known as the God Particle) will help explain how particles achieve mass (photons don't have any mass which I also don't understand). This will then help bring together the two big conflicting theories of Standard/Classic Physics and Quantum Physics, which at the moment nobody has been able to do (it defeated Einstein so I'm guessing it's a bit tricky.....). One of these theories works well at the very large, massive objects (eg. planets etc) whilst the other works very very well at the very small (atoms, particles etc). If they can find one general theory that works for both, and can take gravity into account (something else they can't do right now) then they will all be able to get out more and go down the pub more.......

Something like that anyway. My head hurts again.

[bleak.]

The (very small bit) I kind of understand, is they are going to send photons speeding faster and faster around the track. They use super-cooled electro-magnets to force the photons to speed up to 99.9% of the speed of light. So these photons are circling a 17 mile long pipe 11,000 times every second. One set of photons are sent in one direction, with a second set going the other way. Once they have em going quick enough, they smash the two beams together and then see what happens.

As the two beams collide it apparently creates a high-energy reaction which simulates what happened a split second after the Big Bang. Several particles could be created, but the one they are really hoping to see for the first time is the Higgs Boson, which at the moment only exists in theory. Now THIS is the bit that I really don't understand. Apparently, the Higgs Boson (also known as the God Particle) will help explain how particles achieve mass (photons don't have any mass which I also don't understand). This will then help bring together the two big conflicting theories of Standard/Classic Physics and Quantum Physics, which at the moment nobody has been able to do (it defeated Einstein so I'm guessing it's a bit tricky.....). One of these theories works well at the very large, massive objects (eg. planets etc) whilst the other works very very well at the very small (atoms, particles etc). If they can find one general theory that works for both, and can take gravity into account (something else they can't do right now) then they will all be able to get out more and go down the pub more.......

Something like that anyway. My head hurts again.

this is about much sense i've made so far through internet browsing. not a surprise that youtube has been infested with hundreds of 'end of the world' videos. my head also hurts, and a cup of tea is needed!

[jay bee]

all I know is that it is going to do this to the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXzugu39pKM

chaps, if the world ends before I wake up 2moro it was nice knowing you all

[turquoise70]

well, the scientists behind it swear by its safety when confronted with the claim that it could cause this outcome. so... i mean, it's all up to you who you trust more i guess.

[BrandNewRetro]

Chris Morris takes a visit:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/audio ... is.podcast

[hungry_manweaselbeast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM

apologies if its a repost

also, these are rather good

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0 ... lider.html

[BrandNewRetro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM

apologies if its a repost

also, these are rather good

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/0 ... lider.html

Hahaha this is awesome. It reminds me of science vids at school where they tried to make them cool and familiar with the youth culture, and generally failed with comic effect. I remember one that was Blind Date themed, and this hot chick dated various 'elements', sulphur being smelly, magnesium being fiery etc. etc.! Love the credits on that clip, 'Backing dancers: prefer anonimity'!

[Magic Brenda]

Did we al vapourised?

[BrandNewRetro]

Did we al vapourised?

Dunno if it's been powered up yet, is there a launch time anywhere? Also those images are amazing, the engineering is so overwhelmingly complex that it looks almost alien!

[Infinite E]

hey baby, can I call you higgs? cos you're extrapolating my mass.

[Magic Brenda]

Dunno if it's been powered up yet, is there a launch time anywhere?

DRY fax off another forum:

Initial particle beam injections were successfully carried out between 8-11th August 2008, the first attempt to circulate a beam through the entire LHC is scheduled for September 10, 2008, and the first high-energy collisions are planned to take place after the LHC is officially unveiled, on October 21, 2008.


Sept 10 will be at a crappy 0.45 TeV speed but just to get a collison in.
Oct 21 will be at a blazing 5 TeV speed. (which has never been reached before)

It's all gibberish to me to be honest.

[Radiobuzz]

Well, it's an interesting subject but I'm 99% sure that nothing will happen. It's possible that small black holes are created but if they are they should be evaporated thanks to Hawkin's radiation. And yes, there are no proof of Hawkin's radiation, it's nothing more (and nothing less) than a theory. A very well based theory.

In any case, I'm looking forward to see what new discoveries we can take out from this. It's kind of dumb but I'm secretly wishing the curvature of time to be bended just a tad to see what happens, lol.

[RollTheMic]

Five and a half hours left to live your lives!

Kidding.

Nothing will happen! ;D

[harpoon dodger]

Holy shit, it's Gordon Freeman!

But really, I've been following the LHC stuff for most of this year..I find quantum/theoretical phsyics fascinating. As for the whole micro black hole/end of all life scenario..here's to the apocalypse?