A decade ago, a team using the world’s largest particle collider found out what the world now calls the “God particle,” because it was a key finding to understand the creation of the universe. The particle was called the Higgs Boson particle. After more than 3 years of remodeling and upgrades, CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) is hoping for another historic find among the stars.
Currently, the accelerator is not searching for particles – it is looking to prove that dark matter, a mysterious substance only found in space, exists. While most scientist believe that dark matter is real, none of them have been able to see or create it, even with today’s technology. But collecting data with the Large Hadron Collider could make a breakthrough to understand and visualize the substance.
Colliders are a type of particle accelerator, which brings two opposing particle beams together so that the particles collide. By making the beams collide, sometimes scientists and physicians can discover new particles, such as the Higgs Boson particle.
If scientists can discover the properties of dark matter, it would have a significant impact. “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy is made of,” said Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University. “It would be transformative.” However, dark matter is puzzling and has confused scientist and physicians time and time again. The reason for this is because it makes up most of the universe, but nobody has been able to recreate it on earth.
All of the stars, planets, and other celestial beings in space only make up 5% of the universe’s matter, and 27% is made of dark matter, according to CERN. What makes dark matter even more confusing is that it does not absorb, reflect, or emit light, so it is extremely hard to detect. The only way we know that it is real is because researchers have seen its gravitational pull and seen how it bends light.
Scientists and physicians are hoping that the Large Hadron Collider can help with understanding dark matter. CERN built the collider over a course of a decade, and it is located at the French-Swiss border and the city of Geneva. It is 328 feet underground in a tunnel, and its circumference spans seventeen miles. Inside the collider are superconducting magnets that are chilled to a temperature (minus 456 Fahrenheit) colder than space, and two particle beams that travel close the speed of light collide. This forms a situation similar to the Big Bang. This simulation can help scientists learn about the early moments of the universe without having to use equipment that is beyond our reach.
However, if CERN researchers do not find dark matter in the next four years of experimenting, they will have to wait a couple more years for remodeling. New upgrades are expected to take three years to complete, and the fourth round of data collection is expected to start in 2029. This is the work of a lifetime, but it is exhilarating all the same.
Currently, the accelerator is not searching for particles – it is looking to prove that dark matter, a mysterious substance only found in space, exists. While most scientist believe that dark matter is real, none of them have been able to see or create it, even with today’s technology. But collecting data with the Large Hadron Collider could make a breakthrough to understand and visualize the substance.
Colliders are a type of particle accelerator, which brings two opposing particle beams together so that the particles collide. By making the beams collide, sometimes scientists and physicians can discover new particles, such as the Higgs Boson particle.
If scientists can discover the properties of dark matter, it would have a significant impact. “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy is made of,” said Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University. “It would be transformative.” However, dark matter is puzzling and has confused scientist and physicians time and time again. The reason for this is because it makes up most of the universe, but nobody has been able to recreate it on earth.
All of the stars, planets, and other celestial beings in space only make up 5% of the universe’s matter, and 27% is made of dark matter, according to CERN. What makes dark matter even more confusing is that it does not absorb, reflect, or emit light, so it is extremely hard to detect. The only way we know that it is real is because researchers have seen its gravitational pull and seen how it bends light.
Scientists and physicians are hoping that the Large Hadron Collider can help with understanding dark matter. CERN built the collider over a course of a decade, and it is located at the French-Swiss border and the city of Geneva. It is 328 feet underground in a tunnel, and its circumference spans seventeen miles. Inside the collider are superconducting magnets that are chilled to a temperature (minus 456 Fahrenheit) colder than space, and two particle beams that travel close the speed of light collide. This forms a situation similar to the Big Bang. This simulation can help scientists learn about the early moments of the universe without having to use equipment that is beyond our reach.
However, if CERN researchers do not find dark matter in the next four years of experimenting, they will have to wait a couple more years for remodeling. New upgrades are expected to take three years to complete, and the fourth round of data collection is expected to start in 2029. This is the work of a lifetime, but it is exhilarating all the same.
