Why do they think that the physics lab in Sweden (Switzerland?) might cause the end of the world?

Question

Why do they think that the physics lab in Sweden (Switzerland?) might cause the end of the world?

Answer 1

The supercollider they're building there slams subatomic particles into each other at very near the speed of light. Since black holes are caused when matter becomes so dense that its gravitational field becomes too strong for even light to escape it, theoretically the supercollider could inadvertently create a microscopic black hole. Highly, highly unlikely, but not impossible.

Answer 2

The main fear is that the LHC would create microscopic black holes. This would not be a problem because they would quickly disintegrate UNLESS Hawking radiation does not exist, in which case the MBHs would oscillate around the Earth before losing energy and settling in the dense center. They fear the LHC would produce billions of MBHs which would combine in the center of the earth and grow exponentially.

The thing is, it probably would take billions of years for the MBHs to grow to any considerable size, even in the center of the Earth, so that fear is pretty much baseless, depending on the time it will actually take them to grow.

Answer 3

Typical fear mongering.



It is speculated that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) may create microscopic black holes (keywords: speculated and may), but they would disintegrate immediately, due to Hawking radiation.



http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/en/LHC/Safety-en.html



The energy required to produce a micro black hole is orders of magnitude greater than that produced by the LHC (about 1.15 × 10^^6 GeV), or detected in cosmic ray collisions in the atmosphere. Even if it did, the black hole would be so small as to pass though the earth as if it wasn't there.

Answer 4

You say "they" as if there is a reputable group out there with a real concern. Actually, there are a few kooks with a lawsuit.



There is nothing that will happen at CERN that doesn't happen thousands if not millions of times a day in the upper atmosphere from collisions with the high energy particles from the sun.



At CERN, the experiments will be held at well controlled particle energies with detectors pointing at the exact collision volume in order to measure the fleeting particle production and decay.

Answer 5

I kind of doubt that it will work, but the goal is to bring about the world as quickly as possible so nobody suffers.

Answer 6

no, but it will go so fast that it will rip open the universe and make a portal to another planet so we can invade a new planet and use up it's natural resources till we will have destroed it too.

Answer 7

Because at CERN (that's the name), they experiment with elementary particles with TREMENDOUS energy.



The many particles are collided at huge velocities (near the speed of light sometimes).



Some people worry that they might, at some point, come across a collision of particles that might release enough energy to blow the whole earth into oblivion. It's like a SUPER nuclear bomb...



Of course this is all just speculation.



There are thousands of scientists working there, they know what they're doing.

Answer 8

The L(arge) H(adron) C(ollider) at CERN was intended to go on line on 26th November 2007 but a pressure test for the cryogenic magnets (27/03/2008) found that the magnets required more support. This test caused a postponement, in the start up, until May 2008 while stronger magnet reinforcement was added. On March 21st 2008 a legal challenge was mode in United States District Court for the District of Hawaii by a group of seven concerned individuals, attempting to prevent the start up of the LHC until an operating safety report had been published. However, the LHC did not go on line in May but is expected to be on line by the end of this month (June 2008). The cost of the LHC has spiralled well above the original construction cost estimate!



What might go wrong?



The LHC is intended to look for the Higg's boson and physics beyond the standard model of particle physics such as super symmetry and dark matter/energy candidates. The standard model does not predict that the LHC will produce mini-Black Holes; however, if physics beyond the standard model is found to hold, then mini-Black Holes might be possible. These mini-Black holes might be produced at a rate in the order of one per second. According to the some calculations, these ‘holes’ are harmless because they will quickly decay via ‘Hawking radiation’ and explode into a shower of particles. The problem with ‘Hawking radiation’ is that it too is unproven physics and, thus, might not be a correct explanation for the disappearance of mini-Black Holes. An unlikely, accumulation of mini-Black Holes could be a ‘small’ problem.



Finally, the more complex the machine the more likely it is that something will go wrong. It is reasonable to say, that, the 'teething problems' faced by the LHC are not over yet. However, a ‘dooms day scenario’ with a mini-Black hole disaster is very, very unlikely!