Particle accelerator experiment could shrink the earth

In the drawings, scientists are always shown to be people who are passionate about their research and who end up suffering from explosions or accidents caused by their own experiments. In reality, this is not often the case, but there are risks in artificially manipulating unknown forces.

Anyone who ventured into the study of electricity, when it was still unknown, must have at least had some shocks. As the experiments grow, the risks involved also follow the scale, and the statement by respected cosmologist Martin Rees shows that particle accelerators are not entirely harmless.

Compressed earth

The chances of an accident are slim, but there are. Equipment such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) projects particles at incredibly high speeds, providing conditions for studying the effect of this shock. New particles have been discovered from the data generated by the collisions, but in his new book, called "On The Future: Prospects for Humanity, " the cosmologist raises dark possibilities about these experiments.

"It's possible that a black hole could form, sucking everything around you, " he said in an interview with the Telegraph. This possibility would undoubtedly be catastrophic, but he still cites another situation in which "quarks would regroup into compressed objects called strangelets."

These objects would be harmless at first, but could "convert anything else they find into a new form of matter, turning the whole earth into a hyperdense sphere about 100 meters in diameter." So our entire planet would fit inside a football field - with the detail that there would be no more football fields as we know it.

A third catastrophic theory points to the creation of a void, creating a delicate and unstable situation that could be a big problem. "Some experts speculate that the concentrated energy created when particles collide together could trigger a" phase transition "that would tear the structure of space. That would be a cosmic calamity, not just terrestrial."

With the word, the LHC team

In a statement published on its website, CERN states that “the LHC Safety Assessment Group (LSAG) reaffirms and extends the conclusions of the 2003 report that LHC collisions pose no danger and that there is no cause for concern. " In addition, the text explains that all experiments performed at the LHC happen naturally since the emergence of the earth and other celestial bodies. A great example of this is cosmic rays, which are the natural version of what happens inside the particle collider.

Returning to strangelets, the theory about strangelets was considered in the early stages of the Heavy Iron Collider (RHIC) in the year 2000 in the United States. A study of the time showed that there is no cause for concern; Even so, there is a detection system that never identified the situation happening during the experiments.

Even Stephen Hawking, a renowned theoretical physicist, considered the particle accelerator to be safe. He stated that “the world will not end when the LHC works. The LHC is absolutely safe. Collisions releasing greater energy occur millions of times a day in the Earth's atmosphere, and nothing terrible happens. ”

Despite raising the possibilities, Rees explains that we need to keep scientific advances at risk. “Innovations can often be dangerous, but if we don't renounce the risks, we also renounce the benefits.”

In his book he recommends: “Physicists should be cautious about conducting experiments that generate unprecedented conditions. Many people are inclined to dismiss these risks as science fiction, but they could not be ignored, even if considered highly unlikely. ”

***

Do you know the Mega Curioso newsletter? Weekly, we produce exclusive content for lovers of the biggest curiosities and bizarres of this big world! Register your email and do not miss this way to keep in touch!