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Short Film About CERN's Large Hadron Collider
Lobster911 writes "Seedmagazine.com has posted a new film, Lords of the Ring, about CERN's Large Hadron Collider. NESTA fellow Alom Shaha takes us through the world's largest machine, as he lets the scientists who work at CERN explain the LHC and what they hope to accomplish with it. The highly-anticipated collider is set to start up in 2007, running at full speed by 2008."
Including previews and ads, the film runs approximately 1.67 picoseconds, but at relativistic speeds, it seems like hours.
The video was a little low on content (I guess it was aimed at a more general audience). I think they should have spent a little more time explaining why re-creating conditions at the big bang will NOT create a second big bang that will obliterate the universe. (yes, some people actually worry about that)
Philosophy.
The highly-anticipated collider is set to start up in 2007, running at full speed by 2008.
When I read this I thought they were talking about Windows Vista.
I'll probably be modded down for this...
Quirky? That's strange. If only you'd written it as "quarky", it would have been a truly beautiful and charming joke.
Three particles of neutrons uncharged in our eye,
Seven of electrons with no atoms to call home,
Nine of protons from which Hydrogen we did pry,
One ring for the Physicists on their dark thrones
In the Land of Sweden where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to collide them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Sweden where the Shadows lie.
If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
Reminds me of an old physics joke:
"I've wanted to do the two-slit experiment for years, but my wife won't let me!"
To which the reply was:
"Good luck with that. Try explaining to her afterwards that you couldn't tell which slit you came through. You'll be sleeping next to the particle collider for a month."
Don't know where this came from though; it's not original to me...
Erotic is when you use a feather. Exotic is when you use the whole chicken.
'd be cool if his name was Atom Smasha.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
If the LHC produces black holes, then we know that black holes are produced when cosmic rays hit the higher reaches of the atmosphere. Same sort of energy levels, just more controlable and repeatable down here. So, by theory of 'we're not gone yet' it figures that we will be pretty safe.
You'd need a nano-blackhole with the mass of everest or so for it not to decay in seconds, iirc. 2 protons don't cut it buddy.
Sig
Edward Teller had a concern about atmospheric nitrogen undergoing fusion, essentially igniting the entire atmosphere. He got together with a couple of other Manhattan Project physicists and showed that it was not just unlikely, but impossible. With this concern laid to rest, they knew that it was safe (so to speak) to detonate the bomb.
It was one of the other physicists (not the ones with whom Teller collaborated on the above report) who kept talking about it afterward, and allowed the story to live on, much to the annoyance of a number of Manhattan Project researchers.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
As an undergrad writing software to help align the muon spectrometer, I have been surprised to learn how behind the software is with the hardware. After attending a workshop at Harvard I was informed that segfaulting is normal behavior at the end of a reconstruction run? I will be surprised if everything is working as grandly as this video's creators would have us believe. Also take note that I am an undergrad writing software to align the muon spectrometer, they must be behind...
The barren tunnels outside Wakahachie, Texas house a testament to the U.S. attempt:
America's Discarded Superconducting Supercollider:
Anyone know what the total cost will be? The U.S. version was supposed to top $US 8 billion, and I saw something about a U.S. government grant of $US 500 million in the late 90s. Curious to know if there were lessons learned and if the approach wound up making more fiscal sense.
&laz;
when it rains, it gets real soggy. when it pours, i'm under the tap just _waiting_ for the joy
these type of high energy particle collisions are happening all around us all the time. (esp. as you get into the upper atmosphere, as they rain down on us from space) surely if they could produce black holes that could destroy the earth they would have done so already.
this machine will only reproduce these collisions in very controlled conditions, letting us learn from them.
btw, this is not a concern i've ever heard an actual physicist raise. all theories of micro black holes predict they burn themselves out as fast as they are created, as there is a critical mass needed for self-sustainment. i have doubts regarding the reliability of your "science" blog.
http://kered.org