Slashdot Mirror
LHC Has First Collisions After Years of Waiting
An anonymous reader writes "Only four days after the first attempt to send a particle beam around the LHC, we have arrived at the point when all four experiments got their first real collisions from the machine. This was met by celebrations and champagne, as people have been waiting years and years for this moment. It is a testament to the engineering of the machine that collisions were reached already, so few days after restarting. The LHC had already demonstrated ca 10h stable beams, and now also stable beams in both directions at the same time. In the coming weeks, we need only wait for increased intensity and the first attempts at acceleration."
I, for one, welcome our new subatomic overlords.
Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
As I learned in driver's ed: collisions are bad.
and because this is the LHC, this must mean the end of the world
I don't understand because we're still two years away from Dec 21st 2012
This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying over every mistake.
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are still alive.
I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a fire.
As they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are still alive.
Go ahead and leave me.
I think I prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else to help you.
Maybe Black Mesa
THAT WAS A JOKE.
HAHA. FAT CHANCE.
Anyway, this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist.
Look at me still talking
when there's Science to do.
When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you.
I've experiments to run.
There is research to be done.
On the people who are still alive.
And believe me I am still alive.
I'm doing Science and I'm still alive.
I feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive.
While you're dying I'll be still alive.
And when you're dead I will be still alive.
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
...when should we throw our end-of-the-world parties?
Attitudes make the difference between Space and Time: we want to MAX our temporal, and MIN our spatial extension.
Everybody stand back! They've been a chargin' their... Um... How does it go again?
Is the LHC insured for collisions?
The beams aren't squeezed right now, just centered. You have a higher probability of collisions when they're squeezed (which will be coming up shortly). It was very cool to be in the control room when the first collision took place =)
LAST POST!!!!1
The formula: N(>E) = k(E + 1)^-a
N is impacts per second
E is the impact energy in in GeV
k is ~5,000 particles per steradian per square meter per second
a is about 1.6.
So the ground your feet occupy get a dozen or so such collisions per day, and so on.
I am a science fantasy fan
Despite all the hoopla, all they've really done is cross the streams.
Today the LHC circulated two beams simultaneously for the first time, allowing the operators to test the synchronization of the beams and giving the experiments their first chance to look for proton-proton collisions. With just one bunch of particles circulating in each direction, the beams can be made to cross in up to two places in the ring. From early in the afternoon, the beams were made to cross at points 1 and 5, home to the ATLAS and CMS detectors, both of which were on the look out for collisions. Later, beams crossed at points 2 and 8, ALICE and LHCb.
An important step, sure. But low-speed collisions and beam tuning are not what the LHC is designed to do. It's akin to a pitcher throwing a few warmup pitches - he won't be bringing the heat til he's out on the mound, he's just trying to make sure he shoulder is fucking healed after he blew it out in his first opening game.
By the end of the year we should have some real info about the first useful collisions.
Yes but they aren't high energy collisions.
Thats not the point the world won't end unless the Pee concentration rises above 90%
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
Collision for the next 3 years because something else breaks?
Seems like this thing only ever makes the news because it is broken again in a new and interesting way.
Apparently the future has given up its battle against the LHC. Take that, Nature!
was met by celebrations and champagne
Given the dangers involved and the expenses paid already, I think that was a terrible idea.
I don't understand all this hoopla about why it took so long. When a new machine is brought into our clean room, it usually takes three months before it runs more or less smoothly. The LHC is a bit bigger than our cleanroom and has many more parts. So much more has to be tested, finetuned, etc. before it can even be brought up after a big repair like it had. I think almost two years is a good time in which to do the repair and all that tweaking.
-- Cheers!
Until this happens!? :D
After years of not using a signature, I am going to make one to say the following: Fuck Beta
"The LHC was shut down again today due to an accident involving a champagne cork."
...before the Europeans could agree if the champagne is any good.
I think what I love most about the LHC and whatnot is that, despite all the incredible and amazing science and technology and innovation and potential for learning behind it, what it really comes down to is just us banging rocks together and watching what happens, just like humans have been doing throughout history. It just happens that this time, the rocks are incredibly tiny and incredibly fast.
Kinda puts it all in perspective, in kind of a cool way, IMO.
ìì!
Oh, yes, Mother Erath can take a LHC, alright?
Some screenshots at the CERN site show GNOME's 'Clearlooks' window manager theme. At least BSOD will not be a source for further delays.
My other signature is a car
Despite the so-called "rivalry" too many science "news" outlets have played up, Fermilab puts it on the front page. Always nice to recall that in the end everyone benefits from this big boy coming online.
Sounds like they should have used a switch instead of a hub. Then there wouldn't be collisions.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
The black holes or universe-ending paradoxes are still a few months off, at least. They are colliding at a paltry 450 GeV, a level we have been able to produce at other colliders for many years. Wake me when they are passing 1 TeV, on their way to 8...
What about the Poop concentration?
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
IT's not at full power yet! and it can fail with a big boom.
I just want to say, you can also contribute your CPU power for LHC calculations, by joining LHC@Home.
I'm in awe of this machine, no other monkey species on this planet has been able to make what those scientists made....
But they crossed the beams and the world did not end.
Why even bother posting LHC news on /. anymore. It's just top to bottom black hole and collision jokes. The bottom of the barrel has been scraped, and you guys have worked your way through the wood and there is light peeking through on the other side. No funny can escape from this. These are the same jokes that occur every day in the upper atmosphere at much higher humor levels than we can manage. The universe is actively avoiding the discovery of a funny black hole joke, and will mysteriously break any attempts to discover it.
I guess we came in with a Big Bang and will go out with a Big Boom. Bummer.
jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
I want to buy a snowglobe with a miniature blackhole in it.
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
Uh, yeah, about that. We're kind of swamped up here with all the new souls looking to get in, so we've decided to fast track certain predominantly Godless groups to eternal damnation. You're now stuck at work.
Forever.
Respectfully yours,
The Archon V2.0
Trainee mortal/immortal liason, New Media Department, Heaven.
Wouldn't that be a 'big bang'? And wouldn't that also be a success?
Beach front property is now available east of Paris, downtown Paris, ah west of Paris. In other news Al Gore was heard to say "at least we got rid of the CO2".
....are you implying that, if you zoom out from the solar system, out farther and farther, we actually happen to be on the Joker's chin in the 60's Batman TV show?
What he said.
Except with black holes! And hookers! In fact, forget about the collisions...
I give it two weeks, tops.
But low-speed collisions and beam tuning are not what the LHC is designed to do.
You do realize that even at the injection energy the speed of the protons is 99.99978% of the speed of light in vacuum and at full energy the speed of the protons has only increased to 99.9999991%? The collisions are both equally high speed thanks to relativity: what is interesting is the collision energy.
They are colliding at a paltry 450 GeV, a level we have been able to produce at other colliders for many years.
Celebrations were cut short when one of the scientists spilled champagne on a critical component, causing several magnets so malfunction.
The LHC will complete repairs next month, after killing all nearby avian wildlife and shutting down local bakeries.
>So the ground your feet occupy get a dozen or so such collisions per day, and so on.
Of protons moving at the speed of light in one direction smashing into protons moving at the speed of light in the other direction ?
Last time I checked, we were moving considerably slower than c.
If the Pee concentration is that high, you obviously need to drink more water.
...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
I must say, I am disappointed.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
Given that the LHC is under the French/Swiss border, I was wondering what import/export paperwork the CERN operators need to fill in (and tariffs to pay) every time the beam travels from one country to another .... :-)
Will it blend?
It gripped her hand gently. 'Regret is for humans,' it said.
Well, given the current depression, I think a big boom would be more than welcome. I didn't know that the LHC experiments have such a direct effect on our economy, though.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
Ha! I knew it! Those hadrons aren't so large after all!
I'm just a lowly software developer who works for companies that can't see beyond the next six quarters. I find it completely awe inspiring to see such an immensely complex project come together through the efforts of thousands of dedicated smart people who, in many cases, have devoted literally their entire adult lives, decades, towards this moment. Of course, this is just the beginning...
All of the evidence for this is out in the open, on the 'Net and on the TV, for all to see. Yet scientists still don't garner a fraction of the respect afforded to people that play "catch" for a living. That makes me sad.
this time take care that no bird will drop bread into it, no snail will walk over its pathways, no clown will juggle near it, or no other absurd coincidence will impossibly happen to it to delay it ...
Read radical news here
Comment removed based on user account deletion
07h00 Beam rumors :) :) I didn't write down the time because we were cheering at the time :)
EMCal wants its own partition in a global run ASAP, to be sure they can join PHYSICS_2 without problems.
08h10 PHYSICS_1 crashed, DAQ tried to restart but has a problem. EMCal test created.
08h30 restarting PHYSICS_1, DAQ problems apparently solved.
08h39 FMD shifter at First Physics meeting, another person is on duty.
08h54 EMCal is not configured to shuttle automatically, so they either have to join PHYSICS_2 or reconfig their shuttle, but their shuttle expert is not reachable now.
09h15 EMCal wants STU out to revert to old offline code; but current test is valuable, and so if possible run for another 45 minutes.
09h36 EMCal needs a PHYSICS_2 with PHOS and without STU to test
09h42 SPD needs 5 minutos to be ready
09h44 Clock change problem
09h45 Clock change troubled SSD reconfigration, they cannot standalone if clock is changing.
09h49 SSD ready, SDD finalizing needs 101458 data to be sent to offline
09h50 PHYSICS_2 started with PHOS and EMCal
10h01 PHYSICS_1 try #1
10h04 run 101467 for EMCal with new configuration
10h11 Clock in BEAM1
10h25 Offline confirm it is all fine with SDD
10h29 Beam turn and dump
10h54 101467 for EMCal confirmed ok by offline
11h27 Beam 2 circulating
11h52 TPC officially out
TRD only if BEAM STABLE
12h18 Runs stopped because of beam dump
12h57 PHYSICS_2 started with V0 added
13h02 V0 seemed to have a FERO problem for DAQ, but this was explained as normal by DCS, who will release it only when beam is ok
13h14 The runs currently running should be named "Interaction of circulating Beam 1", according to Federico. PHYSICS_2 running with V0
13h17 Stopped PHYSICS_1 and _2 to put new CTP code
13h20 We lost Beam 2
13h21 PHYSICS_1 started
13h23 2 beams circulating
13h27 PHYSICS_2 started, but crashed. V0 ramp and trigger problem.
13h58 Running
14h26 Stopped PHYSICS_2, started without V0
14h32 PHYSICS_2 did not have the DAQ-CTP error either on current or previous runs
14h52 Stopped PHYSICS, ramped up V0
14h56 PHYSICS started with V0
14h59 PHYSICS_2 stopped to remove V0
15h06 Stopped PHYSICS_1 and _2 for beam dump
15h10 CTP changes for PHYSICS_1 and _2 do not require DAQ action, according to CTP
15h24 Dump
15h27 Permits green
15h42 LHC Handshake
15h52 Injection started
16h00 End of my shift - will continue logging just to be complete.
16h10 Post Morten
16h12 Post Morten
16h15 Post Morten
16h36 Inject beam 1
16h37 Inject beam 2
16h40 First events were displayed one or two minutes ago
Report:
Clock change troubles SSD reconfiguration, they cannot standalone while clock is changing.
First off, the LHC doesn't accelerate protons to the speed of light. It accelerates them to *near* the speed of light. There's an important difference. Secondly, that's the formula for the number cosmic ray impacts on a given area per day. Cosmic rays are closer to the speed of light then the LHC proton streams. Finally, there's "relativity" which says that if you accelerate one stream to .9c with regards to an observer on the earth, and the other to .9c in regards to an observer on the earth in the opposite direction, they don't hit each other at 1.8c. Relative to each other they are still moving at less then the speed of light.
And, as it happens, the total energy of those collisions is less then those of cosmic rays.
Actually if this thing makes black holes, they'll evaporate via Hawking radiation anyway, so calling them "white holes" might be okay.
I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
Hey you, haven't you read the news? Americans are BROKEN they can't even afford the shit you sell.
You can do better if you send them an email in the name of prince Magalubalu IV.
The funny thing is that maybe a lot of slashtupids are clicking the link and you're actually making sales. PROTIP: don't be deceived! those are mostly niggers and indians and spics, the only people that have money on America from humping white gals, stealing white people job's and being narcs respectively.
Mod me troll so we all can know that what I say it's true FTW!
So, did the particle give up, or just buy enough time to re-wire the universe?
he won't be bringing the heat til he's out on the mound, he's just trying to make sure he shoulder is fucking healed
From someone whose handle is "sexconker", I have to wonder on which mound you have injured your shoulder...
Obligatory Red Dwarf:
CAT: So, what is it?
KRYTEN: I've never seen one before -- no one has -- but I'm guessing it's a white hole.
RIMMER: A _white_ hole?
KRYTEN: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A black hole sucks time and matter out of the universe: a white hole returns it.
LISTER: So, that thing's spewing time back into the universe? (He dons his fur-lined hat.)
KRYTEN: Precisely. That's why we're experiencing these curious time phenomena on board.
CAT: So, what is it?
KRYTEN: I've never seen one before -- no one has -- but I'm guessing it's a white hole.
RIMMER: A _white_ hole?
KRYTEN: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A black hole sucks time and matter out of the universe: a white hole returns it.
LISTER: (Minus the hat.) So, that thing's spewing time back into the universe? (He dons his fur-lined hat, again.)
KRYTEN: Precisely. That's why we're experiencing these curious time phenomena on board.
LISTER: What time phenomena?
KRYTEN: Like just then, when time repeated itself.
CAT: So, what is it?
Homonyms are fun!
You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
You haven't seen my hadron.
So Resonance cascade then, eh? Let's just hope that they won't cross the beams.
Flash Forward here we come!
it’s PROVEN that god does not exist, and can by definition not exist.
Saddly, by definition, religious nuts won't let a mere proof stop them.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Interesting story, shame about the replies. Far too many discussions are just full of dozens and dozens of pointless rehashed jokes that are not funny.
My locker combination is 12345678
- omg only an idiot would have that! (posted only to prove that the person got the joke)
-- You insensitive clod. (posted only to prove he knows another Slashdot meme)
--- *Simpons reference*
---- *Follow up Simpsons reference from the same episode* (posted only to prove he knows the joke)
After all those accidents and mishaps, now they got a collision? They have some rotten luck.
So...when does the Pope die and CERN sends for a Harvard Professor?
Take a look at THIS: http://cmsdoc.cern.ch/cms/performance/FirstBeam/pictures221109/CollisionEvent.png Collision detection in the CMS.
There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!
I'll give it 10 days before another incident shuts it down for a year.
3.05143958 × 10^-28 womprats.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
No. Even parallel universes don't allow you to break their laws of nature.
FTFY ;)
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Windows 7 release panties - what does that have to do with this ? And where do you get them by the way?