World's Largest Atom Smasher Now Operational
UW Scientists, Engineers Apart Of Project
Updated: 8:34 pm CDT September 10, 2008
MADISON, Wis. -- It could open the doorway to a whole new world or at least a new understanding of it.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe world's largest atom smasher is now up and running in Europe -- thanks in large part to the ongoing work from University of Wisconsin scientists and engineers.How does mass form? Are there other dimensions out there? Those are some of the big secrets UW staff and other scientists worldwide are hoping to unlock now that the world's largest particle accelerator is up and running underground near Geneva, Switzerland.The Large Hadron Collider or LHC, officially started working at 2:30 a.m. WednesdayAt a facility known as CERN, scientists sent two beams of protons circling a 17-mile underground tube in opposite directions.The machine has huge particle detectors that will analyze data from colliding the beams.Collisions could begin in two to three weeks, and at full capacity, will be done at nearly the speed of light, producing around 1 billion proton particle collisions per second.UW Physics professor Wesley Smith is a LHC coordinator who will decide which 100 to 200 collisions to keep.The tiny particles then will be analyzed for phenomena that unravel big mysteries like: what is mass?"We understand many things about the universe and the way it works but we're missing some fundamental pieces, like we don't understand where mass comes from. We know how much mass things have -- we can measure that but we don't understand the mechanism of establishing the mass. Where do things acquire what mass they have?" said Smith.Scientists also can't account for 90 percent of the matter in the universe - - they know it's out there but can't find it, WISC-TV reported.Smith and dozens of other UW scientists and engineers in Madison and stationed at CERN are all part the search for answers.The project is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $10 billion and has been in the works for two decades.Smith took off for Washington, D.C., Wednesday to talk to the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy about continued U.S. funding for the experiment.Congress has approved more than $500 million and $70 million a year to operate the atom smasher.But Smith said it'll take more from the U.S. and other countries to keep it going.Other major nations like Japan and Russia also are contributing to the experiments.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe world's largest atom smasher is now up and running in Europe -- thanks in large part to the ongoing work from University of Wisconsin scientists and engineers.How does mass form? Are there other dimensions out there? Those are some of the big secrets UW staff and other scientists worldwide are hoping to unlock now that the world's largest particle accelerator is up and running underground near Geneva, Switzerland.The Large Hadron Collider or LHC, officially started working at 2:30 a.m. WednesdayAt a facility known as CERN, scientists sent two beams of protons circling a 17-mile underground tube in opposite directions.The machine has huge particle detectors that will analyze data from colliding the beams.Collisions could begin in two to three weeks, and at full capacity, will be done at nearly the speed of light, producing around 1 billion proton particle collisions per second.UW Physics professor Wesley Smith is a LHC coordinator who will decide which 100 to 200 collisions to keep.The tiny particles then will be analyzed for phenomena that unravel big mysteries like: what is mass?"We understand many things about the universe and the way it works but we're missing some fundamental pieces, like we don't understand where mass comes from. We know how much mass things have -- we can measure that but we don't understand the mechanism of establishing the mass. Where do things acquire what mass they have?" said Smith.Scientists also can't account for 90 percent of the matter in the universe - - they know it's out there but can't find it, WISC-TV reported.Smith and dozens of other UW scientists and engineers in Madison and stationed at CERN are all part the search for answers.The project is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $10 billion and has been in the works for two decades.Smith took off for Washington, D.C., Wednesday to talk to the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy about continued U.S. funding for the experiment.Congress has approved more than $500 million and $70 million a year to operate the atom smasher.But Smith said it'll take more from the U.S. and other countries to keep it going.Other major nations like Japan and Russia also are contributing to the experiments.Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
