The LHC is due to come online this summer, and it’s got the entire world of physics waiting on the edge of its proverbial seat. Here Brian Cox (British rocker turned particle physicist) explains in terms for the general public just what the LHC is all about and why it’s so important. This is truly an awesome talk.
(via The Bad Astronomer)
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Awesome indeed. Please keep us updated.
By: Ken Berg on 2008 May 3
at 22:28 UTC
It is a wonderful and inspiring presentation, except for one small detail…
CERN predicts the creation of up to 1 micro black hole per second in the Large Hadron Collider and references the 1999 RHIC safety study as proof of safety.
(Rebuttal: But the 1999 RHIC safety study only ruled out any possibility of colliders creating micro black holes based on knowledge at that time.)
CERN’ predicts that micro black holes will evaporate.
(Rebuttal: But Hawking Radiation has been disputed by no less than 3 peer reviewed studies that found no basis in science for such conclusions.)
CERN’ and Steven Hawking state that much greater energy cosmic ray impacts with Earth prove safety.
(Rebuttal: But higher energy cosmic ray impacts with stationary particles have net collision speeds less than the speed of light and send all particles created safely into space, while head-on collider collisions have net collision impact speeds at almost twice the speed of light and are designed to focus all the energy to a single point in space and particles created may be captured by Earth’s gravity.)
CERN promised to create and release an new safety report before the end of 2007.
(Rebuttal: CERN’s LHC Safety Assessment Group has concluded that particles created by cosmic ray impacts with Earth’s atmosphere are safely ejected into space and LSAG stated that they do not assume that micro black holes will evaporate, but CERN never released any safety reports created by their LHC Safety Assessment Group.)
CERN asserts that there is no risk to the planet, even though the Large Hadron Collider will create conditions not seen in nature since the first fraction of a second after the big bang.
(Rebuttal: But the legal action contends a 75% probability of risk with very high degree of uncertainty calculated by a scientist with a masters degree in statistics, and alleges that Chief Scientific Officer Mr. Engelen passed an internal memorandum to workers at CERN asking them regardless of personal opinion to affirm in all interviews that there were no risks involved in the experiments, changing CERN’s previous assertion of minimal risk.)
Professor Otto Rossler calculates that a single micro black hole could accrete the Earth is as few as 50 months and Dr. Rossler is world recognized as one of the most prestigious, most eminent, award winning scientists alive.
(Rebuttal?: But CERN has not scientifically refuted his calculations that I am aware of, CERN only promised Dr. Rossler that if they create stable micro black holes that they will stop the experiment. Will that be too late?)
The World might prevent a catastrophy if we delay the experiment until the promised safety studies are completed and peer reviewed.
(Rebuttal?: But then some scientists may not be the first to discover new science and some Nobel prizes may be lost?)
JTankers
LHCConcerns.com
By: jtankers on 2008 May 4
at 18:33 UTC
don’t have time to thoroughly respond to everything right now, but I do have a major bone to pick with your statement that “head-on collider collisions have net collision impact speeds at almost twice the speed of light.” I’m nearly positive that this is not how physics works at relativistic speeds. If you have two cars on the street that impact head on each going 50 mph, sure, the net collision speed is 100 mph. But at relativistic speeds this logic breaks down. Relativity dictates that no matter what speed an object is moving in any direction, the fastest any other object can be moving relative to it is the speed of light. So if you have two particle beams moving towards one another at the speed of light, their net collision velocity is still c itself and not 2c. I am no physicist, but with my cursory understanding of relativity I know at least this much, and I should think your lack of such an understanding indicates that you perhaps are not qualified to pass judgment on this matter.
By: JJ Berg on 2008 May 4
at 21:48 UTC
