Lhc - 09/10/08

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The only data the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has produced thus far is a powerful (but debunked) urban myth—that the particle accelerator buried under the Swiss-French border will generate apocalyptic black holes.

But today, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has announced that the LHC will go online on September 10. On that day, researchers will activate particle beams within the 17-mile-long ring, and the world’s most powerful—and most talked about—particle accelerator will begin collecting experimental data. The LHC’s research potential is staggering, with physicists hoping to use the accelerator’s extremely high-energy proton collisions to generate a range of theoretical particles. Some of those particles could help us to understand the nature of mass, including the as-yet-undetectable dark matter that accounts for so much of the universe’s mass. Other particles might prove the existence of extra dimensions, or lead to entirely new theories or physical laws (this musical explanation gives a good introduction to the LHC).

Until its debut in September, and possibly for the entire lifespan of the LHC, rumors of its doomsday potential are likely to persist, fueled by reports of its unprecedented power and potential. Physicists have pointed out that the microscopic black holes the collider could generate would disappear almost instantly, without wreaking any havoc on the accelerator or the rest of world. But for anyone convinced that the LHC’s impending activation is a countdown to doomsday, the hand-wringing should commence this weekend, when the accelerator will host its first actual particle beam. As part of a scheduled injection test, the LHC will be closed off this Friday, and researchers at CERN will fire protons through one of the eight sectors that make up the sprawling concrete-lined collider tunnel.

The purpose of this test? “It’s, ‘Let’s see what happens,’ ” says Judy Jackson, head of the Office of Communications at Fermilab. “It’s a very complex machine. This is a step towards getting ready.”

As the LHC quietly marks a milestone this weekend, its inaugural run on September 10th will arrive with considerably more fanfare. The Bataiva, Illinois-based Fermilab, a Department of Energy-funded physics lab, will host what Jackson calls “a pajama party” for researchers and members of the media. So when the accelerator goes online at 9 am in Europe., it will be 2 am in Illinois, and data will begin simultaneously streaming into Fermilab’s remote operations center, an exact replica of the LHC control room. Champagne will no doubt be raised—on more than one continent—and new scientific frontiers might be reached. And the world, we are assured, will not end.
Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/extreme_machines/4276847.html

Off-Topic: For some reason the "h" and "c" in "LHC" in the thread title turned lowercase after I posted this thread.
 
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I'm pretty sure it's just Sky's anti-CC4C plugin.
 
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I need to find a way to break his cruise control filter.
 

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