Largest particle collider conducts successful test!
GENEVA (AP) — The world’s largest particle collider successfully completed its first major test by firing a beam of protons around a 17-mile underground ring Wednesday in what scientists hope is the next great step to understanding the makeup of the universe.
After a series of trial runs, two white dots flashed on a computer screen at 10:36 a.m. indicating that the protons had traveled the full length of the $3.8 billion Large Hadron Collider.
“There it is,” project leader Lyn Evans said when the beam completed its lap.
Another headline is: “India shines at CERN experiment”
The entire Large Hadron Collider or LHC will be sitting on India made jacks, these objects weigh 32 tonnes and have to be located to the precision of a few tens of micron.
All of us are concerned about The safety of the LHC
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can achieve an energy that no other particle accelerators have reached before, but Nature routinely produces higher energies in cosmic-ray collisions.The LHC Safety Assessment Group (LSAG) and extends the conclusions of the 2003 report that LHC collisions present no danger and that there are no reasons for concern. Whatever the LHC will do, Nature has already done many times over during the lifetime of the Earth and other astronomical bodies. The LSAG report has been reviewed and endorsed by CERN’s Scientific Policy Committee, a group of external scientists that advises CERN’s governing body, its Council.
I was busy finding out the number of Indian scientists involved in this LHC experiment. But what to say about Hindi broadcast media? My maid and her children watch those channels and gathered some facts about big bang. Today she issued an ultimatum that she would leave early to be with her children on their last day on this earth! She also narrated that yesterday they had refused to have their dinner out of fear. I was trying to explain to the maid that everything is OK about this big bang experiment while watching TV at the same time. And VIOLA!!! On TV they were showing a designer family ( family having all the right external attributes, be it drawing room or personal appearances) and their kids too DIDN’T EAT AND SLEEP IN THE NIGHT!! Long live BIG BANG and media! Hindi broadcast media was out with full force these days, even consulting astrologers and all those dandy looking Babas about impending annihilation of this planet and whole universe! Hats of to media for making Indians basically behaving as one irrespective of class, caste, creed or literacy level.
