Latest news with #ALargeIonColliderExperiment
The Star
20-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
QuickCheck: Can you turn lead to gold?
"Yer a wizard, Harry." "I'm a what?" THIS is the iconic scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Hagrid reveals to wide-eyed Harry that he is a wizard. Hagrid goes on to explain that, being a wizard, Harry was capable of amazing feats we muggles can only dream about. However, even wizards in the world of Harry Potter have limitations. Bringing back the dead, for instance. Another is turning lead into gold - a feat only achieved by one wizard - Nicholas Flamel (based on the very real Frenchman in the 1300s who developed a reputation as an alchemist after his death). Alchemy - the medieval branch of speculative and philosophical chemical science aimed at turning metals (usually lead) into gold, despite being a subject taught in Hogwarts, was notoriously difficult even for a wizard with magical powers. So, we mere muggles have no hope, right? Can we turn lead into gold? Verdict: TRUE The wiz- er, scientists conducting mind-blowing experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) have done the seemingly impossible. In a paper published in Physical Review Journals from the team at A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE), they detailed observing gold atoms forming during high-speed, near-miss collisions of lead nuclei. The result - 89,000 gold nuclei being produced every second, roughly amounting to just 29 trillionths of a gramme. Ok, not something to run to the pawn shop with any time soon, but impressive nonetheless. Whether it was witchcraft or pure hard science (my money is on the former), Mr. Flamel would be proud. References: 1. abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.111. 054906 2. news/physics/alice-detects- conversion-lead-gold-lhc
The Print
14-05-2025
- Science
- The Print
How CERN's collider achieved modern alchemy—turning lead to gold in a trillionth of a gram
'It is impressive to see that our detectors can handle head-on collisions producing thousands of particles, while also being sensitive to collisions where only a few particles are produced at a time, enabling the study of electromagnetic 'nuclear transmutation' processes,' said Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) spokesperson, in a statement. Scientists observed a real-life transmutation of lead into gold through a new mechanism involving near-miss interactions between atomic nuclei. But each of these gold particles is the size of a nucleus, and lasted barely a second before being destroyed in the collider. During the LHC's second run between 2015 and 2018, around 86 billion gold nuclei were created from smashing lead atoms at 99.999993 percent the speed of light. New Delhi: CERN's announcement on May 8 that its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can turn lead to gold was the Holy Grail for alchemists from the middle ages. This is the biggest discovery since the 'god particle' (Higgs Boson) and the 'beauty particle' (bottom quark). ThePrint explains the science behind the magic. Also Read: Search for an Indian Carl Sagan is on. Science influencers are being trained in labs and likes How it was done CERN caught the gold bug back as a side quest nearly two decades ago while working on the fundamental particles (smallest known building blocks of the universe) and forces (four forces of nature responsible for how matter behaves), when it started running the LHC. During the second run, the LHC produced 29 picograms of gold. A picogram is one trillionth of a gram. In the third run, which has been operational since 2022, the amount produced was almost double that of the second run but trillions of times less than what would be required to make a piece of jewellery. The third run, which will continue till 2026, has higher collision energy compared to its second run, improved detector performance, and collected more data. The detector's zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs) counted photon–nucleus interactions that led to the emission of zero, one, two or three protons, along with at least one neutron. ZDCs—which are specialised calorimeters used to detect and measure very small particles or radiation—are associated with the production of lead, thallium, mercury and gold. 'While less frequent than the creation of thallium or mercury, the results show that the LHC currently produces gold at a maximum rate of about 89,000 nuclei per second from lead–lead collisions at the ALICE collision point,' the CERN statement read. A flash of gold The gold nuclei emerged from the collision with very high energy and hit the LHC beam pipe or collimators (devices that shape or direct beams of light or radiation to narrow them or limit their speed) at various points downstream, where they immediately fragment into single protons, neutrons and other particles. In this form, the gold exists for just a tiny fraction of a second. 'Thanks to the unique capabilities of the ALICE ZDCs, the present analysis is the first to systematically detect and analyse the signature of gold production at the LHC experimentally,' said Uliana Dmitrieva of the ALICE collaboration in a statement. The biggest discovery that came from LHC was the Higgs Boson in 2012. The discovery provided evidence of how particles gain mass, proving the existence of the Higgs Field, which is key to the Standard Model of particle physics. However, in recent years, scientists have questioned the lack of any big discovery from the LHC. Also Read: 47 yrs ago, this Indian-origin physicist asked Feynman a question. He hasn't looked back since
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Accidentally Turned Lead Into Gold
The mad geniuses over at CERN have accomplished what alchemists of yore never could: they turned lead into gold. As detailed in a paper published last week in the journal Physical Review C, researchers working with the European Organization for Nuclear Research's (CERN) atom-annihilating Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accidentally transformed humble lead into temporary gold nuclei. The researchers are part of CERN's A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) project, which, put simply, involves scientists smashing atomic particles together at close to the speed of light in an attempt to replicate the conditions that followed the Big Bang. The discovery, they say, is an incidental outcome of their experimentation with collisions between lead nuclei, which contain three more protons than gold. Sometimes, as the paper explains, rather than hit each other directly, the ions graze past each other. And when that happens, the combined power of the ions' electromagnetic fields causes lead nuclei to release three of their protons in a process known as electromagnetic dissociation, effectively transmuting a lead nucleus into one of noble gold. Before anyone gets too excited: CERN scientists aren't about to unleash the hand of Midas. As Nature reported, the researchers estimate that LHC collisions conducted between 2015 and 2018 resulted in 86 billion accidental gold nuclei. While that may sound like a lot of gold, it isn't — it only comes out to around 29 trillionths of a gram, which is worth next to nothing. The nuclei were also short-lived and likely only lasted for a microsecond or so. This would also be a wildly inefficient way to try and create gold from lead at scale, as The Register pointed out, given how much time, energy, and money go into powering the LHC. Regardless, researchers are chalking this up as a fascinating scientific finding that could pave the way for future experimentation. "Understanding such processes is crucial for controlling beam quality and stability," Stony Brook University physicist Jiangyong Jia, who has worked at the LHC, told Nature. While the gold flakes may be temporary, it's a stunning result nonetheless. "The transmutation of lead into gold is the dream of medieval alchemists," reads the paper, "which comes true at the LHC." More on the Large Hadron Collider: Something Wild Just Happened at the CERN Particle Accelerator
Gizmodo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Physicists Turned Lead Into Gold—for a Fraction of a Second
Hundreds of years ago, alchemists dreamed of chrysopoeia: turning lead into gold. Scientists at the research institute CERN have achieved this medieval fantasy—if only for a fraction of a second. Physicists used the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), to eject three protons from lead atoms—effectively transforming them into gold atoms. Though this isn't the first time scientists have created artificial gold, the researchers used a new mechanism involving near-miss collisions. 'The present analysis is the first to systematically detect and analyse the signature of gold production at the LHC experimentally,' Uliana Dmitrieva, a physicist from the ALICE collaboration at CERN, said in an institute statement. ALICE stands for A Large Ion Collider Experiment, and is one of a number of experiments at CERN's LHC. Dmitrieva did not participate in the study detailing the new mechanism, published Wednesday in the Physical Review Journals. Elements are defined by the number of protons in the nuclei of their atoms. Lead nuclei, for example, have 82 protons each, while gold nuclei have 79. The recent study saw lead nuclei zoom through the Large Hadron Collider at the mind-boggling rate of 99.999993% of the speed of light. The nuclei's electromagnetic fields warped, creating a brief flash of light particles called photons. It was the interaction between these photons and the lead nuclei—not collisions, which give the collider its name, but near-misses—that caused the nuclei to shed some protons and neutrons in a process called electromagnetic dissociation. If the lead atoms lost zero protons, they remained lead. If they lost one, they turned into thallium; if they lost two, they turned into mercury; and if they lost three, they turned into gold. The near-miss collisions successfully produced all three heavy metals, though the gold nuclei almost immediately broke apart—meaning gold existed for less than a second. While the latest experiment produced nearly twice as much gold as previous attempts, the fleeting quantity is still trillions of times less than what a goldsmith would need to make even a single piece of jewelry. 'The results also test and improve theoretical models of electromagnetic dissociation which, beyond their intrinsic physics interest, are used to understand and predict beam losses that are a major limit on the performance of the LHC and future colliders,' explained John Jowett, an accelerator physicist from the ALICE collaboration who did not participate in the study. While medieval alchemists might be disappointed to learn that the study reveals no way to generate piles of riches, the research joins a host of other achievements accomplished with the LHC. Perhaps the most famous of those is the discovery of the Higgs boson particle in 2012, whose existence confirms the theoretical presence of a new field that gives mass to other particles, like electrons. It remains to be seen what new discovery the world's most powerful particle accelerator will reveal next.
Daily Record
14-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Physicists mimicking Big Bang accidentally turn lead into gold
Scientists made an unexpected breakthrough and accidentally struck gold while researching the Big Bang The Big Bang is a source of wonderment and interest for the human race. The scientific theory describes the universe's expansion from an extremely dense and hot state into the universe we know - or think we know - now. Most physicists believe the universe was born in the Big Bang 14 billion years ago and the scientific community holds a vast interest in the theory. However, one study went slightly awry recently when physicists unintentionally struck gold when trying to recreate the very event that is believed to have created the universe we call home today. While attempting to recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang, physicists at Europe's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produced gold by accident. The surprising twist happened when lead atoms were smashed together at high speeds for the ALICE experiment in Switzerland, and small amounts of gold were unintentionally produced. The amount of gold produced was miniscule - amounting to just 29 trillionths of a gram. However, the occurrence has been hailed as an "impressive" feat. ALICE, standing for A Large Ion Collider Experiment, aims to explore the early moments of the Universe following the Big Bang by colliding heavy atomic nuclei at temperatures exceeding the core of the sun. Through these collisions, researchers temporarily generate quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter from the nascent universe when protons and neutrons' constituents, quarks and gluons, weren't bonded. This plasma examination helps scientists understand the origins of matter. The team managed to extract three protons from lead atoms - but inadvertently created gold atoms. "It's impressive that our detectors can handle both major collisions that create thousands of particles and these smaller events that make just a few particles at a time," remarked Marco Van Leeuwen, leader of the ALICE project. In the groundbreaking experiment, scientists observed the transformation of lead atoms into different elements by narrowly missing each other instead of colliding head-on. The powerful electromagnetic fields generated in these near-misses can lead to the atoms changing their composition, according to the researchers. "The very high speed at which lead nuclei travel in the LHC... causes the electromagnetic field lines to be squashed into a thin pancake and transverse to the direction of motion," CERN officials explained. "This produces a short-lived pulse of photons." This photon pulse can initiate a complex phenomenon known as electromagnetic dissociation. This ultimately leads to the creation of gold. Incredibly, the research marks the first time that gold production has been systematically detected and analysed in an LHC experiment. It is believed medieval alchemists dreamed of transmuting lead into gold. The Large Hadron Collider is the world's most powerful particle accelerator. It sprung back to life in 2022 after a three-year shutdown and went on to embark on another run of cutting-edge physics experiments. The findings were published in the Physical Review Journals. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
