How does the Large Hadron Collider Work?
December 8, 2010 2:03 PM   Subscribe

 
Fascinating; thanks.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:25 PM on December 8, 2010


I had no idea that the collision chambers sounded like a Tardis in flight.
posted by smcdow at 2:27 PM on December 8, 2010


I just laughed when they casually dropped the fact that the proton streams go around the 27 km circuit 11,000 times per second.

I mean, what else can you do? We can do this and yet we're the same species building Noah's Ark Truthiness Playground.
posted by maxwelton at 2:53 PM on December 8, 2010 [2 favorites]


I've been to CERN and stood beside the detector. That thing is bigger than you would expect.

I have nothing else to add.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:00 PM on December 8, 2010


What dis got to do wit me?
posted by ReWayne at 3:22 PM on December 8, 2010


I just laughed when they casually dropped the fact that the proton streams go around the 27 km circuit 11,000 times per second.

I had a similar thought -- I love how it just plows straight through stuff that from my point of view is totally miraculous.

"And then the electrons are stripped off." Buh?!?
posted by eugenen at 3:30 PM on December 8, 2010


I stripped the electrons off some atoms just the other day. And then I shot them out of my fingertips at a doorknob.

Behold the awesome power of science!
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:13 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


goddammit
posted by eugenen at 4:23 PM on December 8, 2010


It's a shame the LHC's run just ended for the year. Bookmark this site if you want to see the collider's live status when it turns back on in the spring.
posted by auto-correct at 4:45 PM on December 8, 2010


On a more serious note, here's a nice diy cyclotron. And some notes on building its beam extractor. (pdf)

If charged particle beams intimidate you, you could always make your own oglionucleotide synthesizer.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 4:48 PM on December 8, 2010


Work that battery. Yeah! Now add the magnet OH BABY.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 4:53 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]


Is it wrong that I was actually turned on by that battery?

Get it? Turned on.

I'm sorry.
posted by Brackish at 6:42 AM on December 9, 2010


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