and it accelerates protons around in a circle uh both ways that one one beam goes one way one goes the other way and they go around 11,000 times a second so that's a very close to speed of light 99.999999% the speed of [Music] light and in those collisions you're recreating the conditions that were present less than a billion to a second after the big bang world-renowned physicist Brian Cox has sounded an alarm that cannot be ignored the Beating Heart of scientific discovery CERN has mysteriousl
y powered down but the silence that follows is not peaceful it's for boing Rumblings from deep within the scientific Community paint a dark picture what Secrets have been Unearthed beneath the Swiss soil why has one of the world's most advanced scientific institutions gone dark without warning is Humanity on the brink of facing something utterly terrifying in today's video we unravel the chilling events and discoveries that may well redefine our understanding of the Universe imagine a world wher
e we can Peak into the deepest Mysteries of the universe where our understanding of the cosmos takes a Quantum Leap quite literally this is what the Large Hadron Collider LHC promises just as telescopes like James web allow scientists to gaze at the farthest reaches of space instruments like the LHC let us delve deep into the subatomic realm exploring and testing cosmological theories that were once mere conjectures located in Geneva Switzerland the LHC is not just another scientific instrument
it's a colossal Marvel of engineering and human Ingenuity taking a decade to construct this Mammoth project had a price tag of an astounding $5 billion thousands of scientists engineers and workers from across the globe collaborated to bring this dream to life to grasp the sheer magnitude of this facility consider this the LHC boasts a circumference of a whopping 27 km and is nestled about 500 ft beneath the earth's surface powering this Behemoth is no small feat the LHC consumes a staggering 20
0 million watts of electricity roughly the amount a small City would use it's no wonder that CERN the organization that oversees the LHC spends a whopping $23.5 million annually on its electricity bills alone but what exactly does the LHC do in essence it's a particle accelerator a machine designed to propel protons to nearly the speed of light and then Collide them this might sound simple but the science behind it is incredibly complex by Smashing these particles together scientists can observe
phenomena that can't be seen in any other way offering insights into the fundamental building blocks of the universe the LHC stands unparalleled in its speed accuracy and capacity to comprehend its significance we must Journey Back In Time the foundation of particle physics was laid in the 1960s however the theories floated then remained largely unverified due to the absence of advanced instruments it was during this period that scientists discovered that protons and neutrons are made up of thr
ee minuscule particles called quarks these Quark comprising particles were named hadrons The Challenge there wasn't a competent method to delve deep into the study of these quarks the only existing tool was the 3 km long Stanford particle accelerator although groundbreaking it had its limitations the need for a larger more intricate machine was evident enter LHC the vision for the LHC was born out of this need stemming from the inefficiencies of the previous particle Collider today the LHC stand
s as a testament to human Ingenuity pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the universe every time it collides particles at near light speed it reveals secrets of our Cosmos making it not just a machine but a bridge to the very essence of our existence but how does it work Brian Cox excitedly explains it in the following way everything begins with hydrogen the process starts when hydrogen protons are extracted and accelerated using an electric field these protons are then passed through
a series of smaller accelerators which gradually increase their speed once they are moving fast enough these particles are injected into the lhc's main ring within the LHC ring superconducting magnets chilled to a temperature colder than outer space guide and control these particles they ensure the beams travel in a circular path as the particles continue to race around the ring they are further boosted by Electric fields generated by superconducting cavities this happens every time they complet
e a lap when these particles are sufficiently accelerated close to the speed of light they collide with each other these collisions create an explosion of other subatomic particles which creates a torrent of data this data output is staggering averaging around 30 pedabytes annually to give a clearer picture one pyte is equivalent to 1 million gabes if you were to store this on DVDs you'd need a stack taller than the Eiffel Tower the primary source of this massive data output are the detectors lo
cated around the LHC ring these detectors are designed to track and measure particles resulting from proton proton collisions with millions of collisions happening every second the amount of data generated is enormous handling this volume of information is a significant challenge hence CERN employs a tiered system for data storage and and Analysis the initial data is first processed at cern's data center then a chunk of it deemed most important is sent to centers in other parts of the world for
further analysis this distributed system allows researchers globally to sift through the information searching for groundbreaking discoveries a crucial aspect of managing lhc's data is filtering not all data generated from the collisions is useful or relevant sophisticated systems determine in real time which events are potentially interesting and should be stored for further analysis this process reduces the amount of data that needs to be kept but even after filtering the amount remains vast t
he lhc's Big Data capabilities are not just about volume it's also about speed the systems need to operate quickly to keep up with the rapid rate of incoming information to handle this CERN uses some of the most advanced Computing Technologies available the LHC boasts around around 9,600 superconducting magnets these magnets are cooled down to a temperature of - 271.50 de C 1.9 Kelvin using liquid helium the LHC can reach energy levels of 14 ter electron volts TV that's equivalent to the energy
of a flying mosquito but concentrated within a space a trillion times smaller the LHC has several detectors but the two main general purpose ones are Atlas and STM mess these detectors are massive multi-story devices that capture and measure the particles created by proton collisions particles in the LHC travel at 99.999999% the speed of light to give a perspective in the time it takes you to Blink a particle in the LHC would have traveled around the ring over 11,000 times the data produced by t
he LHC is massive but why does CERN make the particles run so fast and what's the purpose behind smashing a bunch of of particles according to Brian Cox at the heart of it all is our quest to understand the universe the universe started with a big bang a colossal explosion that created everything we see around us to recreate and study the conditions just moments after this event we need extreme energy that's where the LHC comes in now let's talk physics E equals to mc^ 2 Einstein's famous equati
on tells us that energy e and mass m are interchangeable at the LHC particles gain enormous kinetic energy as they're accelerated effectively increasing their Mass when they Collide this energy is converted into new particles the higher the energy of the Collision the heavier the particles that can be produced this is why the LHC strives for such high speeds to discover particles that are rare and have only been theorized but there's more quantum mechanics a fundamental theory of modern physics
posits that empty space isn't truly EMP empty instead it's teeming with virtual particles that momentarily blink into and out of existence these ephemeral entities remain one of the most intriguing and baffling aspects of the quantum World interestingly with the right conditions these virtual particles can become real tangible entities LHC offers a profound insight into this Quantum Enigma as the world's most powerful particle accelerator the LHC propels particles to nearly the speed of light sm
ashing them together with astonishing energy in this high energy milu virtual particles get an opportunity to manifest as real particles the LHC thus not only pushes the boundaries of our understanding but also offers a rare glimpse into the intricate dance of creation and Annihilation at the quantum level moreover there's a profound relationship between Quark gluon plasma qgp and the LHC but what is qgp well as is known quarks and gluons are the fundamental con constituents of protons neutrons
and other hadrons and they are held together by the strong force when energy levels reach extreme values as they did during the universe's infancy and within high energy collisions at the LHC quarks and gluons break free from their usual confinement forming a fleeting state known as qgp the LHC recreates these intense conditions by Smashing protons at Ultra relativistic speeds this allows scientists to study the properties of qgp and gain insights into the early moments of the universe temperatu
re and energy density within qgp mirror those of the first micros seconds after the big bang aiding our understanding of the cosmos's evolution through meticulous analysis of particle emissions the lhc's experiments like Alice provide essential data for modeling qgp and deepening our comprehension of the strong Force's Behavior at extreme scales this Dynamic interplay between between particle collisions and Cosmic history continues to drive breakthroughs in particle physics and have they been su
ccessful well they had to come up with Alice not to be confused with the one in Wonderland Alice is an acronym for a large ion collider experiment it is a remarkable component of the LHC designed specifically to delve into the properties of Quark gluon plasma operating at the Forefront of Technology Alice collides heavy ions such as lead nuclei at nearly the speed of light these collisions generate temperatures over 100,000 times hotter than the center of the sun causing the ions protons and neu
trons to melt into their constituent quirks and gluons this fleeting glimpse into this primordial state provides insights into the strong force that binds these particles together what makes Alice even more captivating is its instrumentation the detector is a Marvel of engineering consisting of intricate layers that measure particle trajectories and identify their types these instruments include a Time projection chamber a transition radiation detector and a photon spectrometer collectively they
allow scientists to reconstruct the complex Cascade of particles emerging from collisions the implications of Alice's research extend beyond the realm of particle physics understanding Quark gluon plasma helps us comprehend the evolution of the universe and how it transitioned from a hot dense state to the cosmos we observe today moreover insights gained from Alice's experiments can inform other scientific Fields such as astrophysics and cosmology however this attempt to understand the very fun
damentals of reality can potentially be extremely dangerous Brian Cox alerts the scientific Community with the fact that the Alice Project's Reckless tampering with fundamental particles could trigger a Cascade of calamities black holes devouring our world time itself folding upon us and dimensions twisting into unspeakable Horrors the clock ticks as we dance on the precipice of annihilation Our Only Hope resting on halting this mad descent also qgp is expected to only exist in the very core of
neutron stars not at all a thing you want Brewing under the Swiss soil putting the expected dangers aside for a while there's one more thing of importance Alice project didn't turn out as they expected even though the Alice project was able to produce something like the qgp it wasn't able to replicate it exactly scientists believed that this was due to a missing ingredient the God particle the concept of the higs bosen or the God particle originated from the higs field a theoretical field that p
ervades all of space according to the standard model of particle physics this field is responsible for giving Mass to Elementary particles the higs bosan is the particle associated with the the higs field and its interactions its Discovery was crucial because it confirmed the existence of this field which had been postulated but not experimentally verified until then the LHC played an indispensable role in the discovery of the higs bosan the discovery of the higs bosan involved the atlas and CMS
experiments two of the main detectors at the LHC these detectors are massive and highly complex capable of capturing and analyzing the particles produced in the Collision its Discovery in 2012 at LHC was Monumental it confirmed the standard model's validity and completed a missing piece in the particle physics puzzle the God particle importance lies not only in its role in Mass generation but also in its connection to the fundamental forces and particles that constitute the universe moreover it
opens doors to new Realms of research such as investigating dark matter and seeking a more comprehensive theory that unifies all forces the an announcement of the discovery was made on July 4th 2012 both the atlas and CMS collaborations independently reported the observation of a new particle with properties consistent with those of the higs bosin the find was met with immense excitement and marked a historic moment in the field of particle physics the discovery not only confirmed the existence
of the higs field but also validated the predictions of the standard model despite its Discovery however this elusive particle remains a s of scientific struggle its unique properties and role in particle physics have opened up new Realms of understanding yet many questions remain unanswered one reason for the ongoing scientific struggle is the higs bosen's enigmatic nature its interaction with the higs field a pervasive field thought to permeate all space is crucial for our understanding of ma
ss but it presents theoretical challenges that continue to puzzle researchers the particles Rarity and fleeting existence further complicate matters as it can only be detected by its Decay products however the quest to unravel the higs bosen's Mysteries has not been without controversy constant experimentation particularly in high energy particle colliders raises safety concerns critics argue that the potential for unintended consequences such as the creation of microscopic black holes or other
exotic particles could pose risks to both the environment and Humanity balancing The Thirst for Discovery with safety considerations is a complex challenge as scientists persist in their pursuit of understanding the higs bosen and its Associated Fields careful deliberation and comprehensive risk assessment are imperative to ensure that the boundaries of knowledge are pushed while minimizing potential hazards constant experimentation at the LHC presents a complex interplay of benefits and potenti
al dangers Brian Cox states that while while the pursuit of understanding fundamental particles and the universe's Origins is crucial he's worried that a continual cycle of experimentation carries inherent risks firstly the lhc's incredibly High energies raise concerns about catastrophic accidents although stringent safety measures are in place the unintended creation of micro black holes or other exotic particles could have unpredictable consequences moreover the sheer volume of data produced d
emands meticulous analysis leaving room for errors that could misinterpret findings and potentially misguide scientific progress speaking of potential dangers Brian Cox makes us go through some of them firstly there's the age-old black hole the LHC with its powerful proton collisions recreates the conditions akin to those during the universe's infancy in this fiery malstrom of energy particles attain colossal speeds before colliding occasionally in these head Dawn crashes an infinitesimal region
with immense energy density can emerge it's in this extreme energy that the theoretical possibility of black hole formation arises these microscopic black holes if formed would be minuscule possessing a mass less than a grain of sand their ephemeral existence would be a mere blink of an eye evaporating almost instantly due to Hawking radiation a phenomenon proposed by the renowned physicist Steven Hawking the paradig toxical dance between energy and gravity on such tiny scales gives rise to thi
s transient display of cosmic might the prospect of black hole catastrophes swallowing the Earth in a swirl of Darkness might seem straight out of Science Fiction however the scientific Community remains grounded in their understanding of these processes current theories and observations indicate that any black holes produced in the LHC would evaporate rapidly leaving no conceivable threat to our planet the energy levels required to form a stable black hole far exceed what the LHC can achieve in
triguingly these micro black holes if formed and detected could offer profound insights into the convergence of general relativity and quantum mechanics two pillars of modern physics that often seem at odds second there is the Enigma of strangelets Brian Cox describes strangelets as hypothetical particles composed of numbers of up down and strange quarks making them unique in the particle landscape the theoretical formation of strange lits involves the compression of quirks under extreme conditi
ons of temperature and pressure these conditions are believed to occur in high energy collisions like those generated within the LHC during these collisions if the energy density surpasses a critical point quarks could undergo a phase transition resulting in the formation of stable strangelets the stability of strangelets is a topic of intense debate According to some theories strangelets could be stable and possess a lower energy State than ordinary matter leading to concerns about their potent
ial to catalyze the conversion of normal matter into Strange Matter however this scenario largely relies on the assumption that strange quarks are more energetically favorable than up and down quarks which remains uncertain additionally strangelets interactions with regular matter could range from benign absorption to more catastrophic scenarios where they could potentially trigger a chain reaction of converting surrounding matter into Strange Matter while the idea of Strang lits sounds like a f
ascinating plot for science fiction Brian Cox weighs in on the potential risks associated with their creation researchers have concluded that the conditions necessary for stable strangelet formation might be far more extreme than those achievable within the LHC the the energy levels reached in LHC collisions are much lower than those required for the phase transition that could lead to dangerous strangelet production moreover cosmic ray interactions with Earth's atmosphere would likely have gene
rated stable strangelets if they were readily producible at the lhc's energy levels yet no evidence of this has been observed thirdly there's the trouble of vacuum instability and the nature of energy at the heart of these inquiries lies the concept of vacuum stability a fundamental principle in particle physics the vacuum is not a void but a seething sea of virtual particles that pop in and out of existence these particles are tied to energy fluctuations in the vacuum and their interactions are
described by the higs field the energy associated with this field influences the vacuum stability leading to the possibility of phase transitions in simple terms as energy levels increase the vacuum uum structure could change altering the very fabric of space itself safety concerns have naturally Arisen regarding the potential risks associated with these mindboggling energy levels however extensive research has been conducted to address these concerns theoretical studies computer simulations an
d empirical evidence have converged to assure us that the energy levels reached in the LHC are well below the thresholds that could trigger catastrophic vacuum Decay or phase transitions the sheer enormity of energy required to destabilize the vacuum makes such scenarios extremely unlikely with all those possibilities sealed into our imagination let's visit an actual reality in 2008 cern's LHC faced a significant setback temporarily shutting down not long after its much anticipated inauguration
the primary reason for this shutdown was a helium leak into the tunnel caused by a failure in a superconducting magnet connection this failure led to a rapid warming of a sector of the collider from its operational temperature of near absolute 0 to about 100 Kelvin 173° C superconducting magnets are essential to the lhc's function they guide and focus the particle beams these magnets operate in a super cooled State using helium which allows them to conduct electricity without resistance A Fault
in a magnet's diode box caused a chain reaction resulting in a mechanical failure and leading to the aforementioned helium leak to rectify the situation and prevent future malfunctions a comprehensive analysis was conducted by CERN engineers and physicists they identified the weak spots in the connections and developed a strategy to strengthen the entire system over the subsequent months extensive repairs and tests were carried out ensuring not only the rectification of the identified issues but
also fortifying other potential risk points by the end of the following year 2009 the LHC was once again operational the shutdown while unfortunate proved instrumental in the lhc's subsequent successes the rigorous checks and refinements post 2008 shutdown provided CERN with a more robust and reliable system in the years that followed the LHC made groundbreaking discoveries including the much celebrated identification of the higs bosan in 2012 reaffirming the importance of meticulous engineerin
g and problem solving in large scale scientific Endeavors thanks for joining us don't skip the video displayed on your screen you will not regret it
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