CERN Large Hadron Collider

By: Alex (Christian) Burton

What is it?

• The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the worlds largest particle accelerator/collider, which, as the name implies, accelerates certain particles to very high energies(near light-speed) before making them collide, allowing researchers to study the particles at the sub-atomic level.

What kind of research is done?• Particle accelerators are used mainly in particle and nuclear physics,

but are used in many different applications such as medicine, industry, and security.

• Particle-physics, the main science studied using these machines, asks basic questions about the universe, and with these machines they have been able to make discoveries of the fundamental particles and physical laws that govern matter, energy, space, and time.

• In the recent years, they discovered the Higgs Boson, or the “God Particle,” which is one of the most important and fundamental particles to our universe’s existence.

Not so Fun Facts• The Hadron Collider uses over 9600 super magnets, which

produce a force 100,000 times the earth’s gravitational pull• It can reach temperatures 100,000 times hotter than those at the

center of the sun• It has been theorized by many different eminent physicists that if

the Higgs Boson particle becomes unstable at high energy levels it could trigger a sort of black hole that could absorb the planet. (A few Physicists have filed lawsuits against the company, but were thrown out by the government)

Ethical questions

• Even though Particle accelerators have helped to make tons of discoveries in the scientific world, Should CERN be allowed to continue to use their LHC, taking into account all the professional physicists’ concerns?

• Should the government step-in on research like this? Or should they be able to keep researching without government involvement. (Nothing has gone wrong yet)

• Should we as humans continue to study and “play God” with these machines/particles?

http://energy.gov/articles/how-particle-accelerators-workhttp://www.infowars.com/10-mind-blowing-facts-about-the-cern-large-collider-you-need-to-know/