CERN = European Council for Nuclear Research
What is CERN?
CERN is an organisation created by twelve states in 1953, with an additional eleven countries involved since its creation. There are currently 2660 workers at CERN, who do jobs such as firefighting, international relationship control and experimental physicists to name but a few. CERN is the home of many high end scientific pieces of technology such as particle accelerators, various types of computers and sensors.
What is a particle accelerator?
A particle accelerator is a machine that is dependent upon electromagnetic fields that * on the propulsion of charged particles (positive or negative) to very high speeds, meaning that they now bear a high amount of kinetic energy. Particle accelerators are able to streamline these fast-moving particles to create a well-defined beam so that they can be experimented with.
These pieces of machinery are the scaffolding of modern-day particle physics .
Electrostatic accelerator :
Here, the particles are accelerated to a high speed using a static high voltage potential. The static high voltage potential means an electrical voltage level above a certain threshold and is defined as electrical energy per unit charge. This was the first kind of accelerator and an early example of this is the Van De Graaf Generator made in 1929. This generator was able to produce up to 5 megavolts worth of potential energy.
The maximum potential energy stored by the particles is dependent upon the machine's maximum voltage. A limitation upon all of this is the insulation breakdown meaning the maximum voltage is reduced to only a few megavolts. The insulation breakdown is when an electrical insulating material bears a high voltage transforming it temporarily into an electrical conductor.
These accelerators bear a low cost and are able to produce continuous beams with a high current, meaning they are the most used in industry. They are used in the production of plastic wrap, for example, or radiation therapy in medicine.
Circular accelerators
Circular accelerators are based on usage of magnetic fields that guide the charged particles along a closed orbit. These particles will continue to travel this circular path until there is a collision between themselves and the dedicated target. Each time the particles completes the circle, the magnetic field is strengthened so there will therefore be an increase in acceleration. Upon the particles achieving their desired energy, they are harnessed into a streamlined beam .
What is a hydron collider?
There are only a few hydron colliders in the world, but what actually is a hydron collider? A hydron collider was created to be sort of a base for science experiments regarding various topics such as particle physics or nuclear physics. Hydron colliders make use of these beams produced via particle accelerators and collide them together to create further subatomic particles that can only exist for very small time periods without being in the presence of a vacuum.
Large hydron collider and its importance at CERN
The large hydron collider (LHC) is claimed to be the most powerful accelerator in the world. It was first started upon September 10th 2008 at CERN. . A 27-kilometre ring of magnetic superconductors ( no resistance at a low temperature ) with various structures for acceleration create the collider .
Within the actual accelerator, there is a dual pairing of high energy particle beams that travel near the speed of light, but they travel in opposite directions to separate pipes. This system is dependent upon the usage of the prior mentioned magnetic superconductors. These are made from an electrical cable coiled into a state that electricity no longer has resistance and there is no change in energy. To ensure the optimum usage of the superconductors, you have to chill the magnets to 271.3°c- below the critical temperature required. This can be achieved by using substances such as liquid nitrogen or helium.
Each proton beam in the LHC has an energy of 7 TeV. Lead , the main component used , has many protons on its nuclei meaning they have the capability to transfer a lot of energy, with the beam collisions it can produce having a maximum collision energy of 1150 TeV.
The LHC has been involved in the theory of the origin of mass constructed in 1964 by Brout, Englert and Higgs. It has also allowed for the study of heavy ion collisions, which provides us with examples of What the early universe could have looked like.
Risks at CERN
Many worry that as a result of the technical, complicated research being carried out at CERN as they delve into the foreign territory o f science, they will inadvertedy create a disaster only ever seen in science fiction. A common misjudgement is that there will be too high of an energy transfer as a result of the LHC is about 14TeV. However, in comparision to the highest energy cosmic rays ever observed , that is miniscule. Some rather imaginative people believe that particle accelerators such as those at CERN have the power to create a black hole that will devour the entirety of the continent that is Europe! As a consequence to this information , it is said that the dangers related to these high energy particle would have been there regardless. This to me, doesn't neccessarily feel like a comfort as not only is there potentially dangerous particles stored, we are actually a contributing factory it. From the research I have carried out, I don't feel that CERN releases too high of an energy for it to end up like a piece of 1960's fiction but I believe they should try and harness this energy that is transferred during these processes so that itcan be user asa positive tool in our current Climate.
Another issue held by sceptics is physicists are unable to physica lly exclude the possibility that something catastrophic could occur due to the work done
being at CERN. Physicists are unable to elima te this probability but as arethey unable to Clima te the possibility of the Earth being struck by an anomalies cosmic ray. Both outcomes would be similar.
Particle accelerators (in actual reality) do bear some risks but they are nowhere near as exaggerated as the sceptics claim them to be. Ionizing radiation is emitted upon their operation and there can also be the production of radioactive waste. However, regulations are currently in place to ensure both public and worker safety.
Is there potential for this to be weaponized?
A Particle beam would bethe outcome of the particle accelerator. This would mean that the beams of accelerated particles, which bear a lot of energy would only have to be aimed at a specific target for complete radioactive ionisation to occur.
My opinion
I believe that the LHC and CERN both demonstrate now various countries are able to work together positively for science. In our current climate, examples like these are few and far between making this all the more important. CERN is extremely costly with Britain alone providing it with 144 million per year.
Now, I feel we should tread carefully and think of how the discoveries at CERN could impact us but also the timeframe. We are currently suffering through an economic crisis where we have had an inflation of prices but a deflation of jobs. If remarkable discoveries are not to be encountered for decades, I personally feel this should become less of a priority and We focus the money on helping the people of now.
Links:
What is a hydron collider?I
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