It's not far off now until the physics laboratory in Switzerland, CERN, completes it work on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which will be the largest particle accelerator in the world. I always regret not paying more attention in physics at school, but from what I've read the intention is that this particle accelerator is hoped to create mini-black holes and effectively recreate the condition of the Big Bang.
These black hole will, according to the maths of Stephen Hawking and what is called Hawking Radiation will only exist momentarily before shrinking though. This does of course assume Hawking Radiation is correct. The chances are it is, the question though is what if it isn't?
As I say, I am no physicist, but I imagine creating a black hole 100 metres under the ground, however big it might be, and then discovering that the maths was wrong might be a bit of a bad thing*. Let's hope not I guess, or let's hope the physicists I know leave a comment telling me everything will be fine.
* Potential candidate for understatement of the year
10 comments:
Why do you think Hawking is so keen to go to space? Perhaps he is worried about his maths too?!
Let us prey that there has been no Prince2 practitioners on this project.
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Isn't the NHS a black hole? And it doesn't appear to be losing mass ...
You are Dan Brown and I claim my papal indulgence.
Maybe the Universe began in a parallel universe where a parallel CERN instituted just such an experiment? Hey ho.
Let's put it this way. If Hawking is horribly wrong and they ever get the LHC working, you aren't going to have too much time to worry about it. You may just about manage to finish your drink :)
S-E
I'd best see if we can get an early holiday this year, then. And perhaps take advantage of the overdraft facility. It would be a shame to be suddenly sucked into a single dimensional space smaller than a pinhead along with the rest of the universe without having had a decent break beforehand.
During the first A bomb test the scientists thought there was a 3%V chance it would ignite the whole atmosphere.
It's an experimental result that the LHC will not destroy the planet, not a theoretical one. Particles with energies as high as those generated in the LHC hit the Moon (& the Earth) frequently - they're called high energy cosmic rays (confusingly). The Moon and us are still here, so nothing to worry about.
mini black holes are not intentions or objectives of the experiments at LHC (CMS, Atlas, LHCb being the main ones).
Finding the higgs boson, studying Charge-Parity violation...this is the kind of thing that gets Physicists together.
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