LHC - The best and worst things that could happen

[Gil]

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/sho...%20and%20worst

1. Time travellers from the future appear and say hello. Admittedly this isn't very likely, but theorists have shown that it is possible in principle. And it would be rather spectacular. 2. The smart money is on the LHC creating the famous Higgs boson, so we would finally know why things weigh what they do. 3. Special long-lived version of a particle called a gluino could be spat out. These could stick inside one the LHC???s giant detectors and decay when the accelerator is switched off. If this happened it would tell us that our universe is just one of many, many universes. 4. The LHC might show that extra dimensions of space exist. Some physicists believe this would be the LHC???s most profound discovery because it tells us string theory is on the right lines. 5. Nothing happens. If absolutely nothing new turns up at the LHC, it would shake fundamental physics to the core. It would tell us that all our understanding of forces and particles is wrong and we???d have to go back to the drawing board.

Aaaand:

Worst things: 1. The lights go out in Geneva. The LHC consumes 120 megawatts of power, about the same as Geneva and its environs. CERN gets its electricity from both France and Switzerland, so a blackout in unlikely. 2. The proton beams become unstable and crash uncontrollably into a detector. At full pelt, each beam contains enough energy to melt 500 kilograms of copper. If a beam smashed directly into one the LHC???s giant experiments, it would fry the detectors. Engineers have built several safety systems to stop this happening. 3. Fewer party balloons. The LHC???s superconducting magnets are cooled with 120 tonnes of superfluid helium. Top ups will be needed if there are power cuts or problems with the magnets. 4. Part of the ring breaks. The ring uses superconducting magnets that need temperatures colder than outer space to work. If there is a problem, it will takes five weeks to warm the ring back up to room temperature and another five to cool it back down to 1.9 kelvin. 5. Nothing happens. It may be intellectual dynamite but if nothing new shows up at the LHC, there will be no more money for big physics.

Sorry no end of the world

[Midori]

Originally Posted by Gil 1. The lights go out in Geneva

Meh, and ? It happened already... Anyhow, the only really important place around there, the CHUG (Geneva's University Hospital), has separate power so as never to be without it.

And by the way... do you really believe they did not test it already? I mean, contrarily to Gates presenting Vista, they will avoid their version of "BSOD", being under scrutiny from so many medias... I do not.

Ah, well... gives people around me something "new" to speak about and so they leave us in peace: we usually spend the 10.09 having a fun day with my husband, since it is halfway between our birthdays (him 08.09, me 12.09).

Midori

[Gil]

They did a test but the big experiment is on september 10 because it takes 3 weeks to get the whole thing cooled.

[Tyran333]

I always love "End-of-the-world!" Science Projects. But really, other than being a neat toy, it hasn't really garnered my attention. I don't understand half of what's going on with the LHC, and the other half that I do understand, well... I have faith in the 90% of the folks working there who say "Well, i mean, it's possible, i suppose, that something bad COULD happen... but it's rather unlikely. I mean, it's possible every time you start your car that the engine could explode killing you, but it's rather unlikely."

All I can *really* hope for... is that the LHC *does* yield at least something useful. All that money, all that effort.. if something doesn't come out of it.. there's going to be some very upset people.

:p

[Gil]

Originally Posted by Tyran333 I have faith in the 90% of the folks working there

You should

[Mr. Barman]

There's a great comic strip in the local paper today

A couple of green, bug-eyed aliens with tentacles and lab coats are standing around a big machine. The caption says "13.8 Billions years ago, a few seconds before the creation of our universe..."

The first alien is saying to the other "All set. Let's fire up this Large Hadron Particle Collider and see what happens!"



Some people working on the LHC made a small rap song and video about the whole thing, its somewhere on youtube if you want to see it

Oh and Gil, thanks to that pic I'm gonna have to go get me a shotgun and load up on some essentials

[robert@fm]

Originally Posted by Gil 1. The lights go out in Geneva. The LHC consumes 120 megawatts of power, about the same as Geneva and its environs. CERN gets its electricity from both France and Switzerland, so a blackout in unlikely.

CERN gets its French electricity from EDF, the same company who supply me, so I reckon the chance of a blackout is somewhat higher than the New Scientist reckons.

Originally Posted by Gil 3. Fewer party balloons. The LHC's superconducting magnets are cooled with 120 tonnes of superfluid helium. Top ups will be needed if there are power cuts or problems with the magnets.

This is one reason why we need to develop fusion power sharpish. Niven and Pournelle, in The Mote in God's Eye, said that one way to tell if a planet hosts an advanced civilisation is if there's a substantial amount of helium in the atmosphere; helium is the second-lightest element, hence its molecules are very easily accelerated to and past any habitable planet's escape velocity; so the only way there can be a significant amount in the atmosphere is if it's constantly being replenished, and that means fusion power.

Originally Posted by Mr. Barman There's a great comic strip in the local paper today A couple of green, bug-eyed aliens with tentacles and lab coats are standing around a big machine. The caption says "13.8 Billions years ago, a few seconds before the creation of our universe..." The first alien is saying to the other "All set. Let's fire up this Large Hadron Particle Collider and see what happens!"

Gives the newspost sig I sometimes use -- "My confused, I'm God" -- a new angle.

[Midori]

About the Helium... we had a "prenatal general lesson" (a competent midwife to answer all our questions about giving birth / the hospital where... / what to have for after the birth / ....) this week-end.

Of one of the couple there, the husband is working for the society supplying the helium... he only said "Heck, if it does not work at first, I will have to cancel my holiday and days off set during two next months because of the additional work for us..." luckily, his lady has still three month before the end of pregnancy

Robert@fm> I keep forgetting you're not that far from us... if you come to visit Switzerland, let us know...

Midori

[archshrk]

Originally Posted by Mr. Barman and Gil, thanks to that pic I'm gonna have to go get me a shotgun and load up on some essentials

NO kidding. That is just a little too weird. Now I'm concerned.

Here's a similar thought someone else had.

[Spider]

If it destroys us all, then my worries are over.

[Adonis]

Originally Posted by Spider If it destroys us all, then my worries are over.

Too true.

It's only a problem if it it destroys 20-99% of the population.

Everybody gone = No-one left to complain.

[Mr. Barman]

Originally Posted by Gil You should

Also, does anyone else find it disturbing the guy doing all the work on the machine in that pic is wearing a disney tie?


I want someone with a little more mental stability in there

[Binky The Bomb]

I'm more worried about the fact that one guy whose working on it used to go to Manchester University 10 years ago... and was an avid party animal. Admittedly he was a lightweight 3 pint wonder, but I still would feel better if they hadn't included him in the Physic's team.

(Never met the guy, but I recognise him from various night spots (and his passed out form being tended to by his GF)).

[Chimpo]

Originally Posted by Mr. Barman Also, does anyone else find it disturbing the guy doing all the work on the machine in that pic is wearing a disney tie? I want someone with a little more mental stability in there

Maybe he's a Disney engineer!? If that's the case I /want/ him working on it. or he's a Disney Engineer sent as a sabatour to turn the LHC into the worlds largest "It's A Small World" Ride. In which case my wife would be the happiest person on earth.

[Mr. Barman]

Sending little kids around a large track at near the speed of light is just BEGING for a resonance cascade scenario


good thing Freeman's already there

[Midori]

So err... it went well, so what now? The people who were announcing end of the world have to apologise?

(by the way, our neighbour countries still say stupidities on a regular base: "It will run under the mountain" (French news) WHAT mountain? There's no mountain in Geneva )

Midori

[mattyk]

Not quite
They threw the switch but it will a week or so to warm up.
Well that's what I heard I am happy to be corrected.

[Eldorian]

Originally Posted by mattyk Not quite They threw the switch but it will a week or so to warm up. Well that's what I heard I am happy to be corrected.

No, they sent the beam clear around the LHC - that was the test for today.

Oct 21 is the day they actually collide the atoms.

[Midori]

Argh, almost forgot: for Doctor Who fans, there is an OFFICIAL audio story to get here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/bigbang/torchwood.shtml

Torchwood is involved in an inquiry because Martha, working for the CERN, notices that voices can be heard around the LHC...

Midori

[X-Kal]

Originally Posted by Midori So err... it went well, so what now? The people who were announcing end of the world have to apologise? (by the way, our neighbour countries still say stupidities on a regular base: "It will run under the mountain" (French news) WHAT mountain? There's no mountain in Geneva ) Midori

They're just baby black holes - we still have to wait and see what they want to do when they grow up

[Binky The Bomb]

Yup, they started it up, and it was a blip on a really rubbish screen.
The world held its breath for that.... pure magic I tell thee.

[mattyk]

Originally Posted by Eldorian No, they sent the beam clear around the LHC - that was the test for today. Oct 21 is the day they actually collide the atoms.

Well I was kinda right. The doomsday people don't have to apologise yet.
They've sent beams in two directions today.

[Mr. Barman]

Found a link to some webcams of inside and around the LHC complex:

http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

[robert@fm]

Originally Posted by Midori Argh, almost forgot: for Doctor Who fans, there is an OFFICIAL audio story to get here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/bigbang/torchwood.shtml Torchwood is involved in an inquiry because Martha, working for the CERN, notices that voices can be heard around the LHC...

That episode of Torchwood was broadcast as part of BBC Radio 4's Big Bang Day yesterday. Being not a big fan, I sort of half-listened to it; it sounded interesting.

[robert@fm]

Google had one of their famous logos yesterday -- and I missed it!



Equivalent thread on World of Spectrum: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forum...ad.php?t=22042 (contains some references which some non-SpecChums may not get, such as the Stonkers one, but should still be of interest nonetheless).

[archshrk]

From Woot.com

10 Things We're Looking Forward To Now That The Large Hadron Collider Is Running

Since the total destruction of the planet is apparently off the table...

1. Suddenly much harder to get particle beams insured
2. Brief, sudden portal to empty dimension where we can dump all those Sansas
3. The return of that battleship we lost in the Philadelphia Experiment
4. Last minute lawsuit from Fox that claims they have rights to make a Hadron Collider and they just now noticed it
5. Crazed Doctor McCoy falls through, meets a woman, has to watch her die to stop the Nazis
6. "Hadron" replaces "Caden" as the hot new name for baby boys
7. All Swiss chocolate now tastes a little strange but no one knows why
8. New particle discovered, named after Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog
9. Fred Phelps opens godhatesbosons.com
10. Buyer’s remorse from the scientists as they realize that the Extra Large Hadron Collider was only thirty nine cents more

[Talondale]

Originally Posted by archshrk From Woot.com 10. Buyer’s remorse from the scientists as they realize that the Extra Large Hadron Collider was only thirty nine cents more

Literal LOL!

[Chimpo]

Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet?

The cherry on the icing is the RSS feed.

[Binky The Bomb]

Supposedly, it takes several hundred thousand pounds worth of electricity to power it up.
I'd hate to be the poor bugger who has to feed all that into the coin slot in the generator room.

[Eldorian]

Originally Posted by Chimpo Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet? The cherry on the icing is the RSS feed.

Nah, the best part is the javascript that runs it...

<script type="text/javascript">
if (!(typeof worldHasEnded == "undefined")) {
document.write("YUP.");
} else {
document.write("NOPE.");
}
</script>

And the comments

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[Gil]

Double post

[Gil]

Remember this?



Well...
http://kotaku.com/5095376/large-hadr...street-theatre