Just when I thought I had the Universe figured out, I find out that matter, or, mass, doesn't exist...
Well, according to the Standard Model, all the nice subatomic particles we call Fermions and Bosons do not possess mass. Of course, something is missing in the Standard Model's theory of the Universe, and that is: What causes mass to exist?
That's the job of the Higgs Boson, or, rather, the Higgs Mechanism.
There's only one catch: The Higgs Boson is so shy, nobody has seen it. Well, there was one 'sighting,' if that counts. However, help is on the way: The LHC (Large Hadron Collider, at CERN), will start experiments targetting the Higgs Boson in November of 2,007. With more than 800,000 collisions per second. Those who know are telling us that it may take 2 years to analyze the data once the LHC's experiments start.
What does it all mean to the average person?
This experiment might ruin an otherwise perfect Fall day if, as a result of the experiments, we are rewarded with our very own Black Hole, here, on earth. First to go would be Switzerland and France, then... Well, you know how Black Holes behave.
Does anybody know how to 'put down' a Black Hole?
Me neither...
The scientists at CERN believe that, if a Black Hole is formed, and they expect many, these will be 'very small,' so much so, that they will 'evaporate' instantly.
As you can see, I am still worried about the Higgs Boson. I hope the F1 07 Championship will be finished by then!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6244899.stm
Showing posts with label Higgs Boson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Higgs Boson. Show all posts
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Physics
I am worried about the Higgs Boson.
It seems that it's the subatomic particle capable of creating matter from nothing.
Furthermore, physicists claim that in the Standard Model, the Higgs Mechanism can happen in the Universe independently of whether the Higgs Boson exists or not (or whether they will ever find one).
It reminds me of Blas Cabrera's detection of a magnetic Monopole back in 1982. Something that has not been reproduced to this day.
The way I see it, the idea is that a background charge is needed. Since the Universe already possesses such charge (Vacuum Expectation Value, or VEV = 246GeV), then, when the Higgs Boson traverses the field, at the end of its journey, it would have given rise to mass.
How is this different from Spontaneous Generation? Didn't Louis Pasteur disprove that already?
Let's have a look at some ideas.
Einstein's equations predicted that if an object is accelerated to near the speed of light its mass would increase to the point of being 'near-infinite.' This is what prevents objects from traveling faster than the speed of light, because the force necessary to accelerate near-infinite mass would in turn have to be near-infinite as well.
So, all we have to do to 'give rise' to mass, is to accelerate an object, or particle, to near the speed of light. As its mass is expanding, that could only be the work of Higgs Bosons working overtime giving rise to mass. As matter is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed, it seems that the application of acceleration to a particle to reach near-light speed, transforms energy into mass. And this mass would be provided by whom? By the background field that is constant in the entire universe?
Well, now you see why I am worried about the Higgs Boson.
Isn't it strange to worry about a particle that, so far, has not yet proven to be part of the physical universe?
It seems that it's the subatomic particle capable of creating matter from nothing.
Furthermore, physicists claim that in the Standard Model, the Higgs Mechanism can happen in the Universe independently of whether the Higgs Boson exists or not (or whether they will ever find one).
It reminds me of Blas Cabrera's detection of a magnetic Monopole back in 1982. Something that has not been reproduced to this day.
The way I see it, the idea is that a background charge is needed. Since the Universe already possesses such charge (Vacuum Expectation Value, or VEV = 246GeV), then, when the Higgs Boson traverses the field, at the end of its journey, it would have given rise to mass.
How is this different from Spontaneous Generation? Didn't Louis Pasteur disprove that already?
Let's have a look at some ideas.
Einstein's equations predicted that if an object is accelerated to near the speed of light its mass would increase to the point of being 'near-infinite.' This is what prevents objects from traveling faster than the speed of light, because the force necessary to accelerate near-infinite mass would in turn have to be near-infinite as well.
So, all we have to do to 'give rise' to mass, is to accelerate an object, or particle, to near the speed of light. As its mass is expanding, that could only be the work of Higgs Bosons working overtime giving rise to mass. As matter is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed, it seems that the application of acceleration to a particle to reach near-light speed, transforms energy into mass. And this mass would be provided by whom? By the background field that is constant in the entire universe?
Well, now you see why I am worried about the Higgs Boson.
Isn't it strange to worry about a particle that, so far, has not yet proven to be part of the physical universe?
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