On August 8, the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, began the process of slowly throttling to full power. When its proton beams are circling at full speed and collisions begin, scientists from around the world will finally be able to start collecting data.
LHC collisions may reveal new clues about the origin of the universe, new particles, new dimensions, and perhaps even new physics even theory doesn't predict. But will the collisions be powerful enough to create a tiny mass of particles with a gravitational pull so strong it can "eat" other matter -- a microscopic black hole? And if yes, could such a thing grow big enough to swallow Earth itself?
The fact is, the LHC could produce a tiny, extremely short-lived (read: harmless) black hole. It is an unlikely event, but one that physicists are nonetheless excited about. However, they discount the possibility of a stable black hole -- one with the chance to grow into something worth worrying about -- as much more science fiction than science. Recently, two physicists took a close, practical look at the issue by examining known astrophysical phenomena, using what scientists already know about the universe to determine the likelihood that the LHC will produce stable black holes on Earth. The physicists are Steven Giddings, of the University of California-Santa Barbara, and Michelangelo Mangano, of the European Organization of Nuclear Research (CERN), which built the LHC. In their paper, published in the August 18, 2008, online edition of Physical Review D, they examine the "extremely hypothetical scenario" in which black holes are created at the LHC, are stable, and become trapped within the Earth. Would we be doomed? The short answer is no.
Read full article on Physorg.com
Physicists Rule Out the Production of Dangerous Black Holes at the LHC
Posted by Naacal at 6:13 AM
4 comments:
The honest answer is "unknown".
Are you aware of the history of LHC safety?
Former Nuclear Safety Officer Walter L. Wagner discovered flaws with CERN's safety arguments. He believes that the Large Hadron Collider could create dangerous particles that might destroy Earth, so he filed a law suit to require proof of safety. [1]
In response, CERN scientists created a safety report in 2008 that argues no real chance of danger. [2]
After review, German Astrophysicist Dr. Rainer Plaga argues that CERN's new report does not prove safety. Dr. Plaga proposes that CERN follow additional safety procedures to help reduce the danger, including proceeding slowly. [3]
On August 14th, CERN's Dr. Jonathan Ellis stated that there is no real danger and they will not proceed slowly, collisions will begin in a few weeks. [4]
Another German scientist famous for contributions to Chaos theory and a visiting professor of physics Dr. Otto E. Rössler theorizes that if micro black holes are created in the Large Hadron Collider, they could grow large enough to destroy Earth in just years or decades. [5]
Dr. Rössler requests that an emergency safety conference be held before collisions begin. He is due to meet Swiss President Pascal Couchepin to discuss safety concerns.
[1] http://www.lhcdefense.org/lhc_legal.php US Federal Lawsuit Filings - Walter L. Wagner
[2] http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/lhc/Safety-en.html The safety of the LHC, Web Site - CERN
[3] http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0808/0808.1415v1.pdf On the potential catastrophic risk from metastable quantum-black holes produced at particle colliders - Rainer Plaga Rebuttal
[4] http://www.lhcfacts.org/?p=72 CERN?s Dr. Ellis tells only half of the story - JTankers
[5] http://www.wissensnavigator.com/documents/spiritualottoeroessler.pdf A Rational and Moral and Spiritual Dilemma - Otto E. Rössler Safety Counter Arguments
Thank you for your comment, James.
I think you're right and the correct answer to the question is "unknown". But it seems that the chances are extremely low, so low that one shouldn't worry.
Anyway, I found many interesting links and notes on a Wikipedia page about this topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_of_the_Large_Hadron_Collider
For a strange reason, the previous link looks "broken" to me.
It ends in
"...Large_Hadron_Collider"
Hello Naacal,
Thanks for the link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_of_the_Large_Hadron_Collider
I made several contribution to that article.
The Large Hadron Collider will or will not prove catastrophically dangerous. My opinion is the same as a nuclear physicist that I have great respect for, Walter L. Wagner. He estimates the odds of danger at closer to 50% plus or minus 50%, because the arguments on both sides are uncertain.
Study the arguments leading up to the descision to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger in freezing weather rather than to wait for the temperature to rise to a level where safety could reasonably be calculated. This situation is virtually identical.
What could have been done differently for the technicians to successfully win a delay. I don't know, perhaps you have an idea.
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