Closer to the recreation of the Big Bang!

In Pasadena on Tuesday scientists rejoiced as a proton accelerator, called the Large Hadron Collider, successfully worked and sped protons using 3.5 trillion volts of electricity at over 99 percent the speed of light. The protons collided and the effects were recorded. This machine has been and 11 billion dollar project that has lasted many years. Three years ago it failed to work because of a bad connection between the magnets that are used to move the protons. There are a few other examples of this type of proton accelerator machines, all trying to recreate the Big Bang. While those machines have been collecting data for years, this is the highest output that has been created, unfortunately it is not possible to run the Large Hadron Collider at full power for another few years, due to slight problems with the magnets involved.

These scientists are trying to recreate the Big Bang so we can better understand out environment. They have opened a whole new area of science that will be explored. Their current goal is to find the definition of dark matter and to hopefully create Higgs Bosom, I don't understand what that is, but it has something to do with imbuing energy into particles. As Harvey Newman, a Caltech professor who works on the C.M.S. experiment:

“It’s very exciting because we are entering a new energy range,” ...“We’re looking at all kinds of exotic things,” he said, including signs of extra dimensions."

This is an exciting new field, I wish I understood better. The exploration of the origins or our universe.


Scientist celebrating with Champagne. With a back drop of the computerized model of the impact.