If we can’t travel to the beginning of time to observe the Big Bang, then we will just have to make our own miniature Big Bang right here on Earth. It may sound a little far-fetched and maybe even a little dangerous. (It’s neither.)
After 10 years of construction and about $8 billion invested in the cause, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has given rise to the Large Hadron Collider. This astounding technological marvel (a ring 27 kilometers in circumference) is constructed for the purpose of recreating conditions that only existed within the first billionth of a second after the Big Bang—unimaginable measures of heat and density—by literally smashing bits of matter together near the speed of light. Recording particles present in this not-since-the-dawn-of-time formation, will give us insight to the very fabric of our universe and further the pursuit of answering arguably the biggest questions human beings have ever set out to answer.
One of the biggest questions science is looking to the LHC for is: How do particles have mass? Why are things made of…stuff? One of the assumptions of the Standard Model (scientists current model of what the universe is) is that particles acquire mass through the “Higgs Field.” The “Higgs Field” is basically thought to be a kind of residue left over from the very earliest time of the Big Bang where the Higgs particle—having a mass of more than a hundred protons—though stable at the very beginning, decomposed almost instantly because of the rapid expansion and cooling just following the bang! The theory argues that this residue sticks in different amounts to different types of particles. The LHC is looking to find evidence for the Higgs by creating brief conditions where it may be a stable particle, or at least find components that suggest that a Higgs has recently decayed.
Enjoy this video by the BBC giving a great description of the Large Hadron Collider, its dimensions and capabilities, questions we hope to be answered, and questions we may later be asking.
This next video also discusses the LHC and possible outcomes of its use including whether it is dangerous or could destroy the earth or universe.
It must be noted, though as bizarre as it would seem, that a group of seven individuals have filed suit at a Hawaii U.S. district court against the LHC requesting an injunction to halt the project for concerns that it could damage the earth (creating a small black hole or something equally terrifying). One of the members of this group, Walter L. Wagner, filed a similar suit against another less powerful particle accelerator. He failed, and the project went on to do real science.
If you still want more information related to the Large Hadron Collider, see these excellent resources:
SymmetryMagazine.org LHC article: extremely detailed and reader-friendly
National Geographic article: 6 super pages
LHC News: directly from CERN
Tunnel Excavation Methods: (PDF)
The LHC won’t destroy the earth
