LHC : when is it being turned on.

Podge_irl · 09-09-2008 12:30pm

Wetbench4 wrote: »

How can you say if this prof Plaga is credible or not when the whole point of the experiment is to find out what happens.

The whole point of any experiment is to find out what happens. That doesn't mean that we have no idea what will happen - we have a very good idea in this case - it means that all scientific theory has to be tested by experiment. We want to witness in a controlled environment the kind of event that happens all the time in the atmosphere.

I'm no physicist but even if a mini black hole is created, its still a black hole, the most powerful force known in the universe.

A black hole is not the most powerful force in the universe.

Akrasia · 09-09-2008 2:08pm

Podge_irl wrote: »

A black hole is not the most powerful force in the universe.

yes, that would be Chuck Norris

Morbert · 09-09-2008 2:50pm

Wetbench4 wrote: »

How can you say if this prof Plaga is credible or not when the whole point of the experiment is to find out what happens. I'm no physicist but even if a mini black hole is created, its still a black hole, the most powerful force known in the universe.

Experiments this expensive are not undertaken flippantly. The LHC is going to test rigorous predictions from substantial, peer reviewed, theoretical work. Thankfully, the end of humanity is not predicted by any physical theory. So while physicists and non-physicists are free to speculate about all sorts of exotic occurrences during the LHC's operation, peer review is there to sort prudent and thoughtful theory from sensational conjecture.

Delphi91 · 09-09-2008 2:57pm

Wetbench4 wrote: »

How can you say if this prof Plaga is credible or not when the whole point of the experiment is to find out what happens. I'm no physicist but even if a mini black hole is created, its still a black hole, the most powerful force known in the universe.

Watch this and then you may revise the last statement above!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk8Vr00EBHA&feature=related

Wetbench4 · 09-09-2008 3:19pm

Delphi91 wrote: »

Watch this and then you may revise the last statement above!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk8Vr00EBHA&feature=related

Well i just watched that video after 2 joints, deep deep stuff.11 Dimensions. Went all star trek'ish at the end though.
Anyways the LHC isn't going to be up to full power until spring so at least we'll get christmas out of it.

Professor_Fink · 09-09-2008 7:57pm

Wetbench4 wrote: »

How can you say if this prof Plaga is credible or not when the whole point of the experiment is to find out what happens.

I was not saying anything about his credibility, just pointing out that random crap found on the internet is not to be taken seriously until it has passed peer review.

Wetbench4 wrote: »

I'm no physicist but even if a mini black hole is created, its still a black hole, the most powerful force known in the universe.

Well, I am, and I hear that the LHC might have had one or two physicists involved. And as pointed out by others black holes are not "the most powerful force in the known universe" (gamma ray bursts probably have a good shot at that though). Even if a microscopic black hole were created, it would almost instantly evaporate. Also, it would be very easy to confine magnetically.

barnicles · 09-09-2008 10:40pm

What time in our time zone?

koolkakool · 09-09-2008 11:22pm

barnicles wrote: »

What time in our time zone?

it says it on this website:

http://webcast.cern.ch/index.html

don't know if its accurate though

LHC First Beam - 10th September 2008 - 9am CEST (GMT+2)

Ostrom · 09-09-2008 11:23pm

If anything has been published already on the prep work, anyone have journal citations?

Im not familiar with any science databases. Google scholar showed papers from 1994 on, are these theoretical or was there another collider before this one?

Not looking for reassurance, just an interested citizen

Dave! · 09-09-2008 11:24pm

:eek: So I won't even be awake to see the world end!!! :eek:

Better say my goodbyes now......

koolkakool · 09-09-2008 11:28pm

Dave! wrote: »

:eek: So I won't even be awake to see the world end!!! :eek:

Better say my goodbyes now......

actually i dont think it'll be at full power tomorrow.

quote from Wikipedia:

the first attempt to circulate a beam through the entire LHC is scheduled for 10 September 2008, at 7:30 GMT and the first high-energy collisions are planned to take place after the LHC is officially unveiled, on 21 October 2008.

bit of time still

Michael Collins · 09-09-2008 11:39pm

BBC Radio 4 are doing an excellent job coving the LHC and the physics involved.

Check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/bigbang/

Michael's selected picks(!):

The Five Particles - Five 15 minute programs on some subatomic particles. Quite interesting it has to be said. Presented by Simon Singh.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d8xyx/comingup

Video Interviews - Some interesting interviews with celebrities here. Even our own Dara O'Briain is in there, he used to be a particle physicist, who knew? But by the sounds of things he doesn't like talking about it anymore...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/bigbang/videos.shtml

Dave! · 09-09-2008 11:41pm

koolkakool wrote: »

actually i dont think it'll be at full power tomorrow.

quote from Wikipedia:

bit of time still

Thank fook for that, I can finish my 'things to do before the LHC destroys us all' list!

I'm actually pretty excited, and I don't even have any physics education, so have little notion of the ramifications of this project

But I think Brian Cox's enthusiasm is contagious :pac:

mardybumbum · 10-09-2008 12:48am

Im gonna miss all you guys!

CHD · 10-09-2008 5:18am

2 hrs and 15 mins til the end begins

EDIT: presuming it starts 3 mins late

EDIT 2: Cause then it would be 2 Hrs 12 mins

EDIT 3: Well 2hrs 10 mins if you take my editing time into account

EDIT 4: +1 hr

aidanco · 10-09-2008 8:16am

It's going live today folks about 11am onwards lets hope it's not a black hole of doom!

norrie rugger · 10-09-2008 9:50am

Bloody hell,

they are already predicting a collision for TODAY!!

Is it wrong that I am actually excited about this. I'm not even a physicist, just really really interested in it.

Damn, I still think I made a mistake in doing Biology. Grrrr, stupid career guidance in school

AtomicHorror · 10-09-2008 11:37am

norrie rugger wrote: »

Bloody hell,

they are already predicting a collision for TODAY!!

Is it wrong that I am actually excited about this. I'm not even a physicist, just really really interested in it.

Damn, I still think I made a mistake in doing Biology. Grrrr, stupid career guidance in school

Quiet you! How many physicists would have died from TB and smallpox if it wasn't for us?

Delphi91 · 10-09-2008 11:48am

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn14699/dn14699-1_850.jpg

Some of the first protons to be accelerated inside the Large Hadron Collider smashed into an absorbing device called a collimator at near light speed, producing a shower of particle debris recorded in this image. About an hour later the beam completed a full circuit of the 27km tunnel, to cheers from physicists.

See http://www.newscientist.com:80/article/dn14699 for more info.

norrie rugger · 10-09-2008 12:21pm

AtomicHorror wrote: »

Quiet you! How many physicists would have died from TB and smallpox if it wasn't for us?

Ha Ha
Biology gives us alcohol, 'nuff said really

They could still die from TB and smallpox was eradicated by a lunatic, who thought that the best way to test his theory was to infect a small boy with small pox.

If you were so F**king sure Jenner, why did you not test it on yourself!!

PS
correction from above, not colliding today; reverse stream direction only it seems

WindSock · 10-09-2008 4:16pm

Delphi91 wrote: »

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn14699/dn14699-1_850.jpg

If you look really close and squint a bit, you can see Jesus's face :pac:

Why is the image a computery graphicy one?

timmywex · 10-09-2008 5:09pm

Collision was orriginally put down for 21st october, after its unveiled, dunno if thats still the plan though!

Delphi91 · 10-09-2008 8:51pm

WindSock wrote: »

If you look really close and squint a bit, you can see Jesus's face :pac:

Why is the image a computery graphicy one?

'Cos the little pixies who normally do the graphics weren't available????

I would imagine it's 'cos the data is collected by computer.

Podge_irl · 11-09-2008 1:28am

WindSock wrote: »

Why is the image a computery graphicy one?

What did you expect? The detectors detect the particles due to ionisation and other such processes that aren't visible to the human eye so the decay can only be represented on a computer, its not a visibly observable process.

However, cloud chamber experiments are very awesome and visibly show reactions such as this one

They don't work for the experiments performed in the LHC though.

eZe^ · 11-09-2008 1:31pm

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-lhc-may-change-internet

Phototoxin · 11-09-2008 4:42pm

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

ZorbaTehZ · 11-09-2008 4:43pm

There's a live feed now from cameras inside the LHC.

Phototoxin · 11-09-2008 4:49pm

dang, I was literally just going to edit and post that link !!

Ostrom · 11-09-2008 4:50pm

Always good for a laugh

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1066

Delphi91 · 13-09-2008 6:26pm

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

There's a live feed now from cameras inside the LHC.

Is that the hacked website??? According to a story on the back of todays Irish Independent, hackers broke in on Wednesday morning as the LHC was being fired up. They stated that they didn't want to damage the LHC or intefere with the science, but they did comment on the "schoolboy" security of the system!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/09/12/scicern312.xml

LHC : when is it being turned on.

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