Showing posts with label CERN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CERN. Show all posts

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Neutrinos, Still Not Faster Than Light, For Reals This Time

FirstNeutrinoEventAnnotated
The first use of a hydrogen bubble chamber to detect neutrinos, on November 13, 1970. VIA: Wikimedia commons
Even people with no other interest in or knowledge of physics what so ever, are familiar with the concept that nothing can travel faster than light. This "cosmic speed limit" as it is often called, is based on Einstein's theory of special relativity, which, after now having stood up to over 100 years of experimentation, is one of the most tested, and well established facts in all of physics. So it's understandable why, when CERN published the results of an experiment late last year which seemed to show the sub atomic particle known as the neutrino might actually be capable of traveling faster than light, it was kind of a big deal.

The results in question were first published in September of 2011, after an experiment in which beams of neutrinos repeatedly fired (1500 times to be exact) from an accelerator in Geneva, managed to reach their destination in Italy a full 60 nanoseconds faster than should have been physically possible.

Not surprisingly, these results were met with skepticism  from the vast majority of physicists, who presumed they were likely due to an experimental error of some form, and would almost certainly not stand up to further analysis. Which wasn't a particularly surprising stance for them to take, given that actually confirming it to be possible for anything to violate the physical limits set by special relativity- yes, even by as little as 60 nanoseconds (60 billionths of a second)- would literally have redefined one of the fundamental rules of our reality as we now understand it. And sure enough, in February of this year an initial examination of the equipment used in the experiments, found that a combination of a faulty fiber optic connection and GPS unit, were most likely responsible for the result.

On June 8th, at the International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics in Kyoto, CERN research director Sergio Bertolucci announced that the results of four new experiments designed to test the original findings. All of which, after correcting for the apparent timing errors in the original experiment, recorded a time of flight for their neutrinos that was under that of the speed of light. Thus making it official: Like every other known bit of matter in the universe, neutrinos, STILL can't travel faster than light.

-CAINE- 

VIA: Wired Science

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Inner Workings of The LHC


Posted by Youtube user: T56rOx

In case you're unfamiliar with the inner workings of a modern particle accelerator, more specifically the inner workings of the LHC. The above animation explains just how the accelerator manages to drive particles up to 99.99% the speed of light, and then smash them into one another, breaking them down into smaller sub-atomic pieces.

-CAINE-

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Standard Model and The Search For The Higgs Boson


Posted by Youtube user:Bestofscience

Two recent experiments from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, reported a small excess of events between 115 and 135 GeV (gigaelectronvolts), which they believe to be hints of the long sought Higgs boson. The results of Fermi's experiments seem to support those of experiments conducted last year at CERN’s LHC, which also may have spotted the particle at a similar wavelength; around 125 GeV. What does that actually mean?

Searching for sub-atomic particles like the Higgs, is a matter of smashing larger particles together -Larger in this case meaning things like protons- and then searching the debris of the resulting explosion for anomalies. Because Like every other particle described by the standard model the Higgs, if it does exist, would only be detected at a specific energy level or wavelength of radiation, finding it is really just a matter of looking in the right place. So the experimental results obtained by physicists at Fermi, the LHC, and other accelerators around the world, now seem to suggest that physicists are finally doing exactly that. And the general buzz amongst physicists, the ones I follow anyway, seems to be that we are in fact on the verge of discovering the Higgs.

Why does that matter, and why should you care?

Finding the Higgs matters because the standard model of particle physics predicts the existence of at least 17 fundamental particles, including the Higgs. This collection of particles consists of the Higgs boson, believed to be responsible for imparting all matter with mass, four particles corresponding to the fundamental forces, and 12 particles of matter; the matter particles being divided into two categories, quarks and leptons, and appearing as pairs, or "generations". This theoretical model is largely regarded as one of the most successful theories of all time, as it has consistently been used to make accurate scientific predictions since the current formulation was finalized in the mid 1970's.

But the accuracy of the equations derived from the standard model rely on the assumption that the Higgs is a real thing. So confirming the existence of this theoretical particle is vital to the theory's validation, and in turn, a major part of our current understanding of the physical universe. And you should care, particularly if you are of the mind that ours is a reality governed by natural laws and forces, rather than malicious deities and supernatural effects, because the world of quantum theory is the quest for the ultimate explanation of EVERYTHING.

Also because:

-CAINE-

Source: Wired Science

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Has CERN Observed Particles Traveling Faster Than Light?

According to a report from the associated press, researchers at CERN may have observed a particle traveling faster than the speed of light, and are now seeking confirmation of their findings from outside sources. Note that the emphasis in that sentence should be on the phrase, "MAY HAVE".

Now, while I would be willing to claim that I posses a better understanding of particle physics than your average person on the street, the truth is, I'm just some random geek on the Internet with a thing for science. And while I am both aware, and at least have a basic understanding of many of the basic principals and theories associated with particle physics, I SERIOUSLY lack the expertise to try and explain to you in technical detail exactly what's been going on inside the particle accelerators at CERN, so I won't even try to get too technical. But the basic gist of things is this:

The observation in question was made a few months ago during an experiment in which sub-atomic particles called neutrinos, were generated By CERN in Geneva, and fired across 454 miles to a particle detector in Italy. According to the results of the experiment, CERN's neutrinos managed to arrive at their destination in Italy, 60 Nanoseconds faster than a photon; a measurement well outside the experiment's 10 nanosecond margin of error. Now, I realize that 60 nanoseconds may not sound like much, mostly because, on a macro scale, it isn't. But, ANY amount of acceleration beyond the limit of light speed is a big deal, as it is -as far as we know anyway- physically impossible to travel faster than light.

Einstein's theory of special relativity, and the speed limit it imposes, is one of the most well-established, and thoroughly tested concepts in physics. One which has been challenged, and repeatedly proven true, for over a century now. So one unconfirmed data point, from one unreplicated experiment, is not likely about to send it crashing down. But, there is always the chance, however unlikely it may seem, that other researchers will be able to both confirm and replicate these results, and change one of the fundamental laws of physics. But just for the record, my money, along with that of basically everyone else who's chimed in on this subject, is still on Einstein.

-CAINE-

Source: AP, Bad Astronomer
You can also view this post on: GGB on tumblr

For more info on CERN's findings, and what it would mean if proven true, here's an Interview from the BBC with physicist Brian Cox on CERN's findings:


Posted by Youtube user: SuperRorylewis