Ten years ago, a team running the world’s largest particle impactor made history by discovering the Higgs boson, a key discovery for understanding the formation of the universe, earning it the nickname “God particle.”
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After more than a three-year hiatus for upgrades, the accelerator, operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is collecting data again. This time it was time to prove the existence of another mysterious substance – dark matter.
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Although most scientists believe that dark matter is real, none of them can see or create it. The data collection and power enhancements performed on the particle crusher, called the Large Hadron Collider, could provide researchers with one of their best opportunities to visualize and understand matter.
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“If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy is made of,” said Joshua Ruderman, professor of physics at New York University. “It’s going to be transformative.”
Dark matter has fascinated physicists for decades. It is widely believed to be an important part of the universe, and knowing more about it can provide clues as to how the universe formed.
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All the stars, planets and galaxies in the universe represent only 5% of the matter of the universe, According to scientists at CERN. About 27 percent of the universe is believed to be composed of dark matter that does not absorb, reflect, or emit light, making it very difficult to detect. Researchers say it exists because they’ve seen its gravitational pull on objects — and seen how it helps bend light.
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Researchers hope the Large Hadron Collider can help. The LHC was built over a decade by the European Organization for Nuclear Research to help answer outstanding questions in particle physics. This device is located approx. 328 feet underground In the tunnel near the Franco-Swiss border and the city of Geneva. The circumference extends for about 17 miles.
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Inside the collider, superconducting magnets cool to nearly 456 degrees Fahrenheit – colder than space – as two beams of particles approaching the speed of light collide. Using state-of-the-art sensors and screens, scientists analyzed material from the collision, which mimicked conditions similar to the Big Bang. Allows them to learn aboutThe first moments of the universe.
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The engine entered service in September 2008 but was shut down several times for repairs. Over the past three years, engineers have upgraded the collider so that it can detect more data and operate at higher speeds. Now the accelerator can operate at the highest energy level ever, 13.6 trillion electron volts, enabling scientists to carry out larger and more complex experiments that could yield new insights into particle physics.
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“That’s a big improvement,” He said Mike Lamont, CERN Director of Accelerators and Technology. Pave the way for new discoveries.
In the early universe, particles had no mass, so scientists have long wondered how stars, planets, and extra life formed. In 1964, physicists François Englert, Peter Higgs and others theorized that force fields give particles mass when they touch, but they cannot document the existence of the entity.
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The discovery of the Higgs boson, part of the presumed force field, led Englert and Higgs A. Nobel Prize in Physics.
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These particles have shocked scientists and the general public. CERN and Collider are prominent in Dan Brown’s book and film adaptations.angels and demons. “
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But now researchers want to answer more vexing questions, particularly those around dark matter.
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During the four years of the Large Hadron Collider, scientists hoped to find evidence of dark matter. When they run the device, the protons will spin at almost the speed of light. The hope is that when they collide, the researchers say, they create new particles that have similar properties to dark matter.
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They also hope to learn more about how the Higgs boson behaves. On Tuesday, shortly after the masher began collecting data, scientists at CERN announced They have discovered three new “strange” particles that can provide clues as to how subatomic particles relate to each other.
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“High-energy collisions remain the most powerful microscopes we have for exploring nature at the smallest scales and discovering the fundamental laws that govern the universe.” He said Gian Giudice, Head of the Theory Department at CERN.
CERN’s quest to study dark matter and explain the origin of the universe has left CERN anxiously awaiting experimental results, said Ruderman of New York University. Research excites him. “That’s why I get up early,” he said.
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Once the data starts to come out of the experiment, Ruderman will see if it generates new particles. Even if it did, it would soon be difficult to tell whether it was dark matter or not.
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First, they needed to assess whether the particle emitted light or not. If so, this reduces the chances of it being dark matter. Second, the particles must show signs of being around for a long time and not decay right away, because dark matter should theoretically last for billions of years. They also hope the particle will behave similarly to the current theory of dark matter.
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It took more than four years, Rodman said, to make this discovery.
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If CERN scientists don’t discover dark matter in the next four years, they’ll have more promotions in the job. The update will likely take three years after the current shutdown, leaving data collection and a fourth round of trials starting in 2029.
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As planned, the experiment was able to capture 10 times more data than the previous experiment, according to CERNWebsite for. But uncovering the secrets of the universe is not easy.
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“This is difficult, and something that requires a lifetime of exploration,” Ruderman said.
