The universe – stars, planets, nebulae, the Milky Way, black holes – in its entirety and infiniteness has always fascinated me. Hence, the Big Bang Theory that explains how the universe came into existence has been close to my heart for a long time.
I would like to share some really exciting latest developments related to this interest of mine with you, my friends, with your permission today.
Headlines with names like Search for Higgs boson and Massive Hunt for the God Particle have splashed across newspapers, the net, and TV lately.
So, what is Higgs boson, also popularly referred to as the God Particle?
Simply put, it is a subatomic particle, which is the fundamental building block of matter.
Why is the search for it making news so suddenly?
Actually, the biggest and most ambitious science experiment undertaken to discover the elusive Higgs boson is not at all new. Scientists at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland have been working on it tirelessly for a few years now.
How is it done?
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – also known as the “atom smasher” and the “super collider” – is basically a particle accelerator; this is the gigantic scientific instrument that is used in this search. It spans the border between Switzerland and France, near Geneva, about 100 m deep beneath the Alpine meadows.
This instrument will be used to smash atom against atom at speeds approaching that of light, in order to shake out the Higgs boson from inside the nucleus of the atom.
The detectors inside the machine are four huge underground instruments, some as big as a gothic cathedral, which will act as microscopes to identify a Higgs particle in a fraction of the split second it takes to make an appearance before it disappears once more.
What will this experiment, and the subsequent discovery of Higgs boson, prove?
It may:
- Revolutionize our understanding, from atomic level all the way up to the vastness of the universe. Hence, it may help answer the fundamental questions about why Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is at odds with quantum mechanics. (The former deals with world on a large scale, whereas the latter deals with matter too small to see.)
- Help discover new properties of nature.
- Discover the possibility that there are hidden dimensions to the universe.
- Explain why objects have mass, while some phenomenon, such as light, do not.
Basically, if facts were to follow theory, this trial will help answer some of the questions that are at the heart of our understanding of the creation of the universe, and the end of time.
Has it been smooth sailing all along?
No. Many problems plagued the super collider until very recently – problems that ranged all the way from a bird dropping a bit of a baguette into the accelerator, making the machine shut down, up to faulty joints and connect magnets coming loose.
No wonder some maintain that the devil is in the details.
While scientists have been working at getting the super collider to work, several myths and protests have been making rounds regarding the whole attempt.
- It is not right to play with forces that have only existed in theory before.
- It will create an uncontrollable big bang.
- The immense energy involved in the experiment may generate mini black holes.
- These black holes could somehow merge to form a larger, destructive entity that could swallow up the entire earth or chunks of the universe.
- The experiment is infringing on the territory of the almighty, and hence may cause a major catastrophe.
What are the latest developments?
Finally after months of hard work and preparation – including some major and minor hiccups up to the very last minute – on Tuesday March 30th, the LHC successfully began to make subatomic collisions.
And the myths surrounding the experiment have proved to be just that. The super collider did succeed in smashing atoms and nothing unusual has happened: the earth continues to rotate and revolve as usual, and we all go about our lives, most of us unaware that we were supposedly standing at the brink of possible extinction just over a week ago.
What now?
The scientists will have to pore through the reams of data, collected by the super collider, for the next however many years, before they can say what it is that the collider has helped us discover.
Are we on the verge of the biggest breakthrough of science?
No one can say definitively.
Not all important (or fundamental, for that matter) discoveries are accompanied by a big bang. How about Newton and the proverbial apple falling on his head leading him to discover, eventually, the force of gravity? Could any discovery, of such epic proportions, have been less dramatic?
Also, most times, the majority of humanity are not even aware that something life-altering has occurred until after a few years or decades have gone by. Case in point: the Italian physicist Galileo Galilei proving (with the use of the first-ever astronomical telescope) Copernicus’s theory that earth revolved around the sun – a theory that was in direct opposition to the then existing belief that earth was at the center of the universe.
Ergo, we all just have to wait and see what the results from this latest attempt at attaining deeper insights into the beginning of time mean to the future of humanity.
What does the possible discovery of Higgs boson, and an eventual definitive theory about the origin of universe, mean to you?
- Do you believe, in the first place, that this experiment will lead to a revolutionary view of the universe?
- Will it possibly change the way you look at science?
- Will it force you to look at religion differently?
- Is it even likely to have an effect on you in any way?
I would dearly love to know what you all think…
If you’d like more details about this extraordinary journey, here are some good sites to begin with:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/in-search-of-the-god-particle-805757.html – Whence it all began: An interesting article about Prof. Higgs, and the sheer magnitude of LHC.
Fascinating stuff! For me it’s a bit weird to think this particle is believed to provide mass for other particles. May be this round will yield conclusive evidence that proves the existence of Higgs Boson and help us understand that theory a bit better.
By the way Hema, how come you get to be both right and left brained? ;-)
RK
How can you say sci-fi isn’t your genre after all that, Hema! I see a dozen great fiction ideas lurking in there :)
I find the Hadron collider totally fascinating too!! To the religion question, I’ve never had a problem equating my belief in both God and science, as I think of God as the ulitmate scientist of the universe. He created us in his image to have curious, scientific, wondering minds, and gave us a mysterious world that works according to principles we can search out and discover, and even understand him better through. Real scientific evidence is fact. I think where religion and science get muddled is when science throws in subjective opinion that goes beyond the facts, (an amazingly cool experiment with subatomic particles doesnt therefore imply anything about the existence or non-existence of God) or religions that reject hard scientifc fact (medicine, or proven natural selection) out of fear that it threatens their beliefs.
Where the strict scientific method is applied I think religion and science can coexist quite nicely :)
This is truly fascinating… And I envy you on how you grasped the subject so well, I always get lost half way through :)
The way I see it, men will always try to answer some basic questions- by creating some more questions…
Whatever they do or do not discover- they have always been there, it’s just that we’re learning about them now. So I don’t think I’ll be questioning my faith afterwards- I’m with Rachel on this, I believe science and religion can coexist. But it sure will be an interesting journey to watch how all this effects our lives! :)
RK, I feel the same way – how can such a small particle get to be the decider of mass, right? My left-brain is going “woo-hoo – can’t wait for the results – esp. if it means a totally new facts about how the universe was created!” too :). And thanks for a very sweet compliment :).
Rachel, I couldn’t have said it better myself! I have never been able to subscribe to the belief that the proof given by science negates the presence of a divine power (in any shape or form, that each of us looks up to). Okay, so science is looking at how it all works, but where did it all come from, in the first place? Right?
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this subject!
As for sci-fi as a genre, science has always been my first love. However, my brain is very strait-laced when it comes to science — it keeps gravitating towards facts. I will take help from writers like you, along with Jules Verne and Arthur C. Clarke, to give me a ride to the fiction side of it :).
And you make a good point — will this experiement, and the subsequent results, mean a new wave in science fiction, a la werewolves and vampires on the romantic/literary side of writing? Hmm… something to mull over, all writers out there!
Thanks, Lua. The fact that I’m trained as an engineer has something to do with my occasional willing diversions to the other side :). I felt pretty alive researching into this, and it got me thinking about blogging one or two science pieces a month.
Guess you, Rachel and I fall in the same region of the spectrum — science and religion can and do co-exist. Thanks so much for sharing your opinion!
P.S: I liked your reasoning about men and questions. Anyone out there ready to counter it? ;=)
My mother is an engineer, she’s actually a geophysicist and she gets very excited talking about things like this so I can picture your enthusiasm! And I loved the idea of posting science pieces once or twice a month on your blog. It’s especially useful for people like me who doesn’t have a clue, it’s not like I can find science articles I can actually read (and understand) everyday… :)
As for the countering part- I have my dogs Chuck & Apple. I’m sure that paints a portrait :)
A geophysicist? I’m envious! And thank you, Lua, for endorsing my idea of posting science columns. You’re very sweet. If ever, God forbid, I need counsel on legal matters, I’ll holler for you :).
Uh-oh, did I just add yet another agenda to my blog? I wonder if my friends are right: am I using blogging as a legitimate procrastination tool to put off that inevitable revision cycle for my WiP? ;-)
I love physics too. This super collider is going to reveal some crazy stuff, I can’t wait to find out what it is!
Jai
It is all rather irresistable, isn’t it, Jai? Only wish we knew what the results are, sooner than a few years from now.
Hema,
Loved the blog today! Small black holes that form during this process ….kind of feel so sci-fi right? Enjoyed reading the other side of you! Keep these coming too…
Thank you, KVP! Glad that this piece resonated with so many! Will definitely keep looking more at the scientific side of things, too :).
Hmmm I’ve studied the Big Bang theory before, see why people believe it, but when I began to study psychology–I don’t know…. it’s so difficult to imagine that humanity was created by mistake. The mind is soooo complex. How does something so complex as the brain, as the eye, come into creation by the accidental crashing of atoms? I too agree with Rachel and Lua: I believe science and religion can coexist.
To have one without the other, for me, leaves only a heap of question marks
Thanks for sharing!!
Absolutely, junebugger! There’s no way the whole thing could have been a mere accident. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
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