Hal Evans, an associate professor of physics at Indiana University held a colloquium on Friday discussing he Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Evans, who has been working at the LHC since it became operational in 2008, sought to explain why he and his colleagues believe the particle collider marks “a pivotal point for physics.”
According to Evans, physics primarily tries to unify the various theories of elementary particle behavior. Elementary particles compose electrons and protons, which in turn form atoms. Understanding the governing principles of elementary particles could lead scientists to “a unifying theory of everything” as Evans put it.
The purpose of the LHC is to test the different hypothesis that physicists have proposed that could lead to this unifying theory.
By smashing together sub-atomic particles at high energies, scientists are able to directly observe the behavior of elementary particles.
While other colliders have achieved this since the 1970’s, the LHC is unique because it is able to achieve collisions with unprecedented power and precision.
The LHC fires opposing proton beams each with an energy of about 80 kg of TNT . Physicists are able to adjust the superconducting magnets lining the LHC so that these two beams meet along the 27 km length of the collider.
This task is exceptional because the diameter of these beams is 100 micrometers – about the diameter of a strand of hair. Each beam travels at nearly the speed of light.
Evan stresses that such force and accuracy are crucial because the answers physicists seek from particle collisions can only be found at very high energies. Other colliders are simply not capable of generating such power.
To date, however, the LHC has not presented any new data on particle behavior.
In fact, the LHC will not become as “revolutionary” as the media has portrayed it until well into the next decade.
This is because the LHC is only firing beams at 7 tera-electron volts, approximately half its full operating strength.
Soon after the LHC’s first test in 2008, a spark caused a superconductor to implode. The incident revealed unseen design flaws in the LHC, which were repaired throughout 2009. Nevertheless, an actual correction of the design itself will not be made until 2012.
Until then, the power of the LHC will not be raised or only increased gradually throughout the decade.
Nevertheless, Evans remains in good spirits: “I’m excited that people are actually interested in what [physicists] are doing. This is new to us.”