LHC cooled to operational temperatures
Summary
All sectors of the world's largest particle accelerator have now been cooled to operational temperatures of approximately -271°C.
Topics
All sectors of the world's largest particle accelerator have now been cooled to operational temperatures of approximately -271°C.
The eight sectors have been cooled individually over time. As three of the sectors were cooled to nominal operating temperatures, the magnets which guide and focus the beams of protons were powered up, said the bulletin.
At present, the three sectors have magnets powered at 2kA. Over the coming weeks, magnets in all eight sectors in the 27km LHC ring will gradually have current put through them, up to 6kA. This is the amount of energy needed to guide beams with a nominal energy of 3.5 TeV, or half the power envisaged for the LHC experiment, said the Cern bulletin.
Cern told ZDNet UK at the beginning of October that the LHC would probably be colliding beams by mid-November.
For more, read "LHC cooled to operational temperatures" from ZDNet UK.
Talkback Most Recent of 16 Talkback(s)
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these experiments should be abolished
these arrogant Eurocrats are putting the world at risk and are performing acts against nature and God.
Linux Geek20th Oct 2009 -
Go back to your cave
The upper atmosphere is home to particle collisions of a power far greater than anything we can build on earth. If it were dangerous, we would already be dead.
T1Oracle20th Oct 2009 -
Interesting premise
But, just so we're on the same page ... which god are we talking about? I don't remember any prohibition against particle accelerators in any religious book I've ever read ...
notsane20th Oct 2009 -
Troglodyte
http://www.answers.com/troglodyte
1. A member of a fabulous or prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes.
2. A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.
3. An anthropoid ape, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee.
4. An animal that lives underground, as an ant or a worm.
Takalok20th Oct 2009 -
Where are the greenies when you need them???
The amount of power this thing is using, where are the "global warming" theorists? Why aren't the greenies upset?
Hoping someone shuts this thing down for the safety of the human race...if the greenie weenies could please hurry up and take action...strange bedfellows in time of necessity...I would root for them to do so! This thing is dangerous!!!
techboy_z20th Oct 2009 -
A breakthrough in fusion would solve the energy crises
and if the LHC helps, it would be the greenest thing we have ever built.T1Oracle20th Oct 2009 -
Science at work
Your rant is a perfect example why we need scientists working on issues like these. Forming an opinion without any knowledge is very popular these days, but it's also very dangerous. If global warming is still a theory, why will the north pole be passable by ship in the summer in a few short years?notsane20th Oct 2009 -
My 2 cents...
I keep reading these articles and the comments, but so
far I still don't understand. If anyone can relate
this in layman's terms (or provide a link), I would
appreciate it. I doubt I'm alone in this, based on the
fearful replies I've read in comments.
That stated, I am concerned with the unintended
consequences such a project might spawn. I don't
believe it will manifest itself in the apocalyptic
scenario that some are fearing, but there are always
unintended consequences.
I also question the motives of the financial backers
for such awesome scientific discoveries. Aren't many
of mankind's greatest achievements driven by a desire
to conquer either militarily or economically?
I hope this project succeeds and that somehow mankind
benefits from their efforts. Otherwise, it will be a colossal waste of money, energy, and even time on my
part.
Reply_account20th Oct 2009 -
Layman speaking...
The most satisfying part of quantum physics is having one's predictions
actually borne out by observation. The most fun part of quantum physics
is the mud-wrestling to prove what all that other stuff in the picture is.
Unless the prediction is for annihilation, in which case, no one is left to
be satisfied. Except when the annihilation was unintended, since a
person must exist long enough to say "I told you that was gonna
happen."
gjsherr20th Oct 2009 -
How About
This is the largest collider following a series of colliders. The idea is not new but built upon past experiments. The colliders have been getting larger in the quest to understand physics and develop theories to predict or explain physics now.
The LHC was designed to look for evidence of certain particles that have been predicted by some theories but have not been found. The process is like slamming two cars head on and seeing what parts make up the cars; in this case the things are atoms sped up to near light speed and smashed into a target.
Part of the experiments that will be done is to get data to test the theories about the early universe before the particles assembled into atoms.
As for beneficial results; this is something to get more information about how things work and why things are the way they are. It may lead to another energy source to wean us off of fossil fuels or it could lead to other things that we have yet to imagine. We do benefit from increased knowledge.
sboverie@...20th Oct 2009 -
LHC operations
From what I remember when they first fired up the LHC, Wall Street imploded. :^)
All joking aside, it will be interesting to see what discoveries are made using the LHC.
GregB320th Oct 2009 -
Where's that article
Something I read earlier, I forget where, but the idea was that the problems the LHC is having are a result of the universe itself preventing it from becoming operational because if it is to be operational, it will cause a cataclysmic event and wipe out existance. I thought it was a very cool concept for a movie/book.
"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."
gnesterenko20th Oct 2009 -
Here ya go.
"Large Hadron Collider 'Sabotaged from the Future'"
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568528,00.html
Hallowed are the Ori20th Oct 2009 -
close
this is the one I was looking at, but same story, a bit more fleshed out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/science/space/13lhc.html?_r=1gnesterenko21st Oct 2009 -
RE: LHC cooled to operational temperatures
That's a funny one! I don't think the other guys realize you were just trolling.
ken@...20th Oct 2009
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