Gizmodo
CERN's scientists, the fine people who brought us the W and Z particles, anti-hydrogen atoms and hyperlinked porn sites web pages, are now hard at work building the Large Hadron Collider to discover something even cooler: the Force. Yes, that Force. Or like physicists call it, the Higgs boson, a particle that carries a field which interacts with every living or inert matter, which could bring us closer to understanding how the Universe works:
Most physicists believe that there must be a Higgs field that pervades all space; the Higgs particle would be the carrier of the field and would interact with other particles, sort of the way a Jedi knight in Star Wars is the carrier of the "force." The Higgs is a crucial part of the standard model of particle physics—but no one's ever found it.
In theory, when physicists turn on the tons of machinery inside the Akira-like LHC 17-mile-long ring in 2008, they will be able to produce the Higgs boson. Observing it could confirm many physicist predictions and "missing links" in the Standard Model, which is a physics theory that aims to describe how elementary particles interact with each other. It's either that or destroy the planet. We can go either way (actually, although it was a joke, CERN just wrote back saying that they don't want to destroy the planet. Thankfully, Jeff Vader doesn't work there.)
The existence of the Higgs particle, also called the God Particle, has only been predicted so far. It was first proposed by University of Edinburgh physicist Peter Higgs in 1965, after coming from a walk on the mountains. If confirmed by the LHC, it could bring scientists closer to the Grand Unified Theory, "which seeks to unify three of the four fundamental forces."
The Force can also explain why the fourth, gravity, is weak compared to the other three: electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force. I guess the strong force is the good one and the weak force is really the Dark Side. I don't know. I'm lost now, so I'm just going to list other of the cool stuff that the LHC will produce: strangelets, micro black holes, magnetic monopoles and supersymmetric particles.
Now, the only question left after they discover the real Force that bind us all is: do they have a canteen at the LHC? And if so, is it run by Jeff Vader or Mr. Stevens? [CERN, Wikipedia, National Geographic via The Force.net — all photos copyright CERN and Flickr]
Yes, again. Because I can't have enough of that clip.
Comments
How long did it take you to write this :P
Last week NGC or Discovery aired a show how this thing was built. Pretty impressive. But who the hell thinks it's fiscally responsible to spend billions of dollars on this machine?
Nathan is obviously right. Basic research is a complete waste of time and money. Nothing good has ever come of it.
But from the way the Force is presented in Star Wars, it's much more likely that it's a sexually transmitted disease.
Can't you read? Its for finding the Force!
Has to be better than spending a trillion dollars killing Iraqis
It must still be early. I certainly read "Large Hardon Collider"
It should be up and running in a few months. Last I heard they were aiming for early 2008.
@NeoPoliticus: So when they say someone is strong with the force, we should just politely say no, offer some antibiotics and tell them they should have used protection?
Can that thing propel an Oldsmobile to near the speed of light and smash it into another Oldsmobile? That would be interesting.
I dunno, from the way that thing looks they should set up some security to make sure Lando Calrissian doesn't fly into it and blow it up.
@Nathan Drake: Understanding gravity and a unification theory would be HUGE... No, listen to me I mean... HUUUUGE.
This could lead to those sweet-ass flying cars "they" have always been promising, too!
@DustyButt: Agreed. Proving or Disproving these theories is going to be done by SOMEONE. I'd just hope that I'm on the team that develops the first dark energy bomb, rather than the other side.
Nothing is cooler than science. Nothing.
@Geisrud: apparently, even that didnt work for anakins mom.....
@erid: and someone sure as hell better say "klatu verato nictu" before they fire it up. just say the words, for the love of all thats holy, say the damn words !
@mfaerber: Wrong.
Please tell me Peter Higgs was about 2 feet tall, green, and had really pointy ears.
You'd think with all the brain power to come up with a device like this they could have come up with something cooler than "strong force" and "weak force"
Fantastic clip. Very funny.
@Inepsa: Oh, right, we forgot. Nothing is cooler than science. Except you.
Just read this today that sheds doubt on the importance of the Higg-boson:
[calphysics.org]
@92BuickLeSabre:
Peter Higgs was about 2 feet tall, green, and had really pointy ears.
@Jason: daaaaaaamn, physics understandable by the common man, well done! nice find dude.
The photos are amazing.
It does make me wonder, if after spending such vast amounts of time and engineering and construction and money, and this being t h e o e t i c a l physics, what happens if it doesn't w o r k .
"Oopsie.Mybad.Back to the future."
@skittlzncombos: There's a decent "Your Mom" joke in "Large Hardon Collider", but I don't want to be the one to make it.
@xboxishuge: I think you just did.
Peter Higgs this. Peter Higgs that.
No one ever talks about his assistant, Millard Boson. He's the one who did all the work...
"Use your Higgs Boson!" kind of loses the zing doesn't it.
@Nathan Drake: Are you suggesting there is a price cap on how much we should spend to become Jedi? We should probably cut all our funds from every other project in the world to fuel this one...
I'm waiting for them to create a black hole that sucks in the whole galaxy with that thing...
Isn't this is the same machine used to find the G-Spot earlier this week?
So, are they going to smash medicholrines with this?
@ANoel: All physics is theoRetical, until it is tested. The more exotic and profound the results, the more expensive and difficult the tests. All of our calculations and previous testing thus far are pointing us towards something BIG that needs BIG things to detect.
As for the money aspect of it, think about the TRILLIONS of dollars spent on "frivolous" things like entertainment- movies, organized sports, the arts, etc... All valid pursuits, but whose ultimate goal could never hope to be on the scale of the implications of this research. And when you think about, say ABC's advertising budget- probably comparable to the funding of this project- look at what humanity is getting out of the deal, vs. probing the origins of the universe.
In terms of the potential payoff vs. the amount of money put in - The only thing which comes close is the original katamari damacy for PS2- that was the best 30 bucks i ever spent!
They need to protect their exhaust vents.
There are a few interesting articles in this month's edition of New Scientist, the most interesting (in my opinion) of which contains the view that the possible creation of mini black holes may open up wormholes into the future and possibly allow future scientists (or 13 year old hackers) to transmit information back through time through these apertures. I hope they tell me when it's time to dump my Yahoo stock.
@lpranal:
Bang on bro. Bang ON!
OHHHH "Large Hardon Collider"... here I thought it was "Large Hardon Colander" and was thinking boy, you can make a huge bunch of spaghetti with that thing!
To J.J. Abrams (if you're reading this), QUICK! Graft this to your crazy convoluted Lost plot somehow!
@sqeakytoy of the apocalypse: It's actually "Klaatu Barada Nikto." LOL...
"it could bring scientists closer to the Grand Unified Theory, 'which seeks to unify three of the four fundamental forces.' "
Um - the Unified Theory is having ALL 4 fundamental forces unified - not jsut 3 of the 4_ That part is already done_ They just have not been able to add in Electromagnetism yet_ Hence the term 'unified theory"_
@Hiphopopotamus: Hell yeah - there is nothing more important [or cool] than proving - discovering and ultimately commercializing "The Force" !
@mfaerber: Yes - something is cooler than science - "The Force" is cooler than science_ And if it is finally proven - then it will be scientific and thus by proxy make science cool_
@ideaman2020: Actually - yes his assistant did much 'grunt' work_ But if you take Higgs out of the equation - then 'Boson' is nothing_ If you take 'Boson' out of the equation then Higgs would merely have had a different assistant and the theory would have had a different name - such as The Higgs-Jackson Theory of the God Particle_ IF that were the case_
However your arguement dies when you find out that an Indian physicist named Satyendra Nath Bose is who the 'boson' is named after_
Altho - Higgs and Bose lives both [Higgs still living?] overlapped for about 45 years - I could not find any info that says they worked together on anything_ Bose 'invented'/ discovered the boson and Higgs theorized about a type of boson called the Higgs Boson_
So Higgs 'assistant' had not much to do with the Higgs Boson other than 'assisting' Higgs with the grunt work [like I said before] as all good assistants do_ Otherwise those folks would not be assistants and they would be doing their own theororetical work_
.
Wait... So does this mean that the graviton particle theory is dead?
slow friday huh?
@Ipranal: You mean "proven", not "tested".
@mfaerber:
Specially because most fascinating effects happen at near absolute zero....?
Anyway, It was nice knowing ya'll... We'll implode when they switch it on...
LOL!
@ideaman2020: very funny.
@ripfire: No. The Higgs is not the same. The Higgs I believe gives particles their mass (i.e. makes things what they are). The Graviton imparts (in theory) gravititational force to particles.
This is just one fucking amazing piece of engineering.
Could any of the more learned gentlemen here tell me what would happen if--theoretically--this machine somehow conclusive proved that the Higgs-Boson particle doesn't exist? Would it mean that physics as we know it is fucked?
Also: magnetic monopoles! So many possibilities with those! It's very exciting.
the pr safety message is hilarious! "mini black holes will not eat you!
"It's a bit risky but we're considering using the centrifuge from level 7."
'How big a risk?'
"We can handle it colonel."
'IDIOT! That's not what I'm asking you. If you can synthesise this 'AKIRA' thing, can you assure me we'll really be able to control it this time ?!?!?'
"Well-Uh-um-I-ah..."
'Memories are short...'
"I know! But, if we collect more data using our new sensors and carry out a computer assissted analysis then believe me colonel, we can handle it!"
'I have a feeling we'd be better off leaving it alone this time.'
"Colonel...we can't turn back now."
""A...KI...RA...""
@Jason: Thanks a lot, I'm not going to get ANYTHING done today.
@uberfu: go correct the Wikipedia.
The force is no good without lightsabers. Put this on hold, put billions into lightsaber development.
I've always like the Barbara Bosson. [us.imdb.com]
And we shoulda woulda coulda had something like this - remember the Superconducting Supercollider? I still get misty when I say that.
So where does the t-ray fit in?
some fun numbers: [public.web.cern.ch]
Eddie Izzard for the win!!!!
How does the troubleshooting work when you flip the power switch on a 17 mile long device and nothing happens?