Big Bang Conditions Created in Lab

Avatard · 02-15-2010, 06:12 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...nscreatedinlab

Big Bang Conditions Created in Lab
Clara Moskowitz
Staff Writer
LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
staff Writer
livescience.com Mon Feb 15, 10:01 am ET

WASHINGTON - By smashing gold particles together at super-fast speeds, physicists have basically melted protons, creating a kind of "quark soup" of matter that is about 250,000 times hotter than the center of the sun and similar to conditions just after the birth of the universe.

Scientists previously reported that they suspected they had created this unique state of matter, but for the first time they have verified that the extreme temperatures necessary have been reached.

"This is the hottest matter ever created in the laboratory," Steven Vigdor, associate laboratory director for nuclear and particle physics at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., said Monday at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington, D.C. "The temperature is hot enough to melt protons and neutrons."

The gold particles used in the experiment were only the nuclei - the positively-charged part of the atom made of protons and neutrons. Two sprays of gold nuclei were accelerated in opposite directions along a circular track in an underground "atom smasher" called the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y.

Traveling along this 2.4-mile-long circle, the gold nuclei were accelerated to near the speed of light. When two of these particles smashed into each other, their collisions produced such huge amounts of energy that the matter was heated up to about 7 trillion degrees Fahrenheit (4 trillion degrees Celsius).

These scorching conditions are enough to melt the protons and neutrons into their constituent parts - namely fundamental particles called quarks and gluons.

This soup of quarks and gluons is thought to have filled the universe a few microseconds after the Big Bang that may have created it about 13.7 billion years ago. After that point, the matter would have cooled and condensed to form the protons and neutrons that make up the matter we see today.

"This research offers significant insight into the fundamental structure of matter and the early universe, highlighting the merits of long-term investment in large-scale, basic research programs at our national laboratories," said Dr. William F. Brinkman, director of the DOE Office of Science. "I commend the careful approach RHIC scientists have used to gather detailed evidence for their claim of creating a truly remarkable new form of matter."

The soupy cauldron of fundamental particles only lasted less than a billionth of a trillionth of a second. But that was enough time for physicists to measure its properties and temperature using a detector built around the collision site.

The temperature measurements came via photons, or bits of light, that were emitted shortly after the nuclei crashed into each other.

"This was an extraordinarily challenging measurement," said Barbara Jacak, a professor of physics at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. and spokesperson for the PHENIX collaboration, one of RHIC's four experiments.

Captain Morgan · 02-15-2010, 06:23 PM

Cool, so, billions of years from now, we could have a new universe. Oh, wait, they said the shit disappeared. Damn, that sucks.

Adeptus_Minor · 02-15-2010, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatard

WASHINGTON - By smashing gold particles together at super-fast speeds, physicists have basically melted protons, creating a kind of "quark soup" of matter that is about 250,000 times hotter than the center of the sun and similar to conditions just after the birth of the universe.

Traveling along this 2.4-mile-long circle, the gold nuclei were accelerated to near the speed of light. When two of these particles smashed into each other, their collisions produced such huge amounts of energy that the matter was heated up to about 7 trillion degrees Fahrenheit (4 trillion degrees Celsius).

Damn... don't get any on ya.

CasterTroy · 02-15-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatard

about 250,000 times hotter than the center of the sun .

wonder what kinda meat thermometer they have used to measure that

dReWpY · 02-15-2010, 06:59 PM

i read the title and thought, wow, they managed to put a R1 in the lab and fired it up, yipee!

smileyman · 02-15-2010, 07:20 PM

Obviously they havent tried my chili...

Papa_Complex · 02-16-2010, 08:17 AM

Excellent; the next generation of atomic weapon is born. The "Push the Reset Button" bomb.

njchopper87 · 02-16-2010, 10:30 AM

Sent this to my astronomy teacher, and he said the machine isn't even functioning up to full capacity yet. That's some bad ass shit right there.

101lifts2 · 02-16-2010, 07:08 PM

The big bang theory...I mean seriously we need to get off this nonsense.

Papa_Complex · 02-16-2010, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 101lifts2

The big bang theory...I mean seriously we need to get off this nonsense.

Yeah, that show sucks donkey balls.

02-15-2010, 06:12 PM	#1
Avatard Crotch Rocket Curmudgeon Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Here to integrity Moto: Li'l red baby Ninja Posts: 7,482	Big Bang Conditions Created in Lab http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...nscreatedinlab Big Bang Conditions Created in Lab Clara Moskowitz Staff Writer LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz staff Writer livescience.com Mon Feb 15, 10:01 am ET WASHINGTON - By smashing gold particles together at super-fast speeds, physicists have basically melted protons, creating a kind of "quark soup" of matter that is about 250,000 times hotter than the center of the sun and similar to conditions just after the birth of the universe. Scientists previously reported that they suspected they had created this unique state of matter, but for the first time they have verified that the extreme temperatures necessary have been reached. "This is the hottest matter ever created in the laboratory," Steven Vigdor, associate laboratory director for nuclear and particle physics at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., said Monday at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington, D.C. "The temperature is hot enough to melt protons and neutrons." The gold particles used in the experiment were only the nuclei - the positively-charged part of the atom made of protons and neutrons. Two sprays of gold nuclei were accelerated in opposite directions along a circular track in an underground "atom smasher" called the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. Traveling along this 2.4-mile-long circle, the gold nuclei were accelerated to near the speed of light. When two of these particles smashed into each other, their collisions produced such huge amounts of energy that the matter was heated up to about 7 trillion degrees Fahrenheit (4 trillion degrees Celsius). These scorching conditions are enough to melt the protons and neutrons into their constituent parts - namely fundamental particles called quarks and gluons. This soup of quarks and gluons is thought to have filled the universe a few microseconds after the Big Bang that may have created it about 13.7 billion years ago. After that point, the matter would have cooled and condensed to form the protons and neutrons that make up the matter we see today. "This research offers significant insight into the fundamental structure of matter and the early universe, highlighting the merits of long-term investment in large-scale, basic research programs at our national laboratories," said Dr. William F. Brinkman, director of the DOE Office of Science. "I commend the careful approach RHIC scientists have used to gather detailed evidence for their claim of creating a truly remarkable new form of matter." The soupy cauldron of fundamental particles only lasted less than a billionth of a trillionth of a second. But that was enough time for physicists to measure its properties and temperature using a detector built around the collision site. The temperature measurements came via photons, or bits of light, that were emitted shortly after the nuclei crashed into each other. "This was an extraordinarily challenging measurement," said Barbara Jacak, a professor of physics at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. and spokesperson for the PHENIX collaboration, one of RHIC's four experiments. __________________ Insert free thought here.

02-15-2010, 07:20 PM	#6
smileyman White Trash Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NW Arkansas Moto: Buell 1125R Porco Rosso Edition Posts: 4,895	Obviously they havent tried my chili... __________________ Arkriders.com To be the best you must first be willing to risk the worst!

02-16-2010, 08:17 AM	#7
Papa_Complex Nomadic Tribesman Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brampton, Canada Moto: '09 ER-6n Posts: 11,150	Excellent; the next generation of atomic weapon is born. The "Push the Reset Button" bomb. __________________ "Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising" http://www.morallyambiguous.net/

02-16-2010, 07:08 PM	#9
101lifts2 WSB Champion Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Moto: 2009 Kawi ZX6R Posts: 5,570	The big bang theory...I mean seriously we need to get off this nonsense. __________________ Train Hard Ron Paul - 2012 Mark of Excellence GM

02-15-2010, 06:23 PM	#2
Captain Morgan Let's do another U-turn Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Indiana Moto: 2009 V-Strom Posts: 3,816	Cool, so, billions of years from now, we could have a new universe. Oh, wait, they said the shit disappeared. Damn, that sucks.