Large Hadron Collider Search for Original Particles May Destroy Everything

What created a blog frenzy is now being discussed in mainstream news sources and science periodicals and journals. The question is: Will CERN's hunt for the Higgs Boson, which existed only at the beginning of the creation of the material universe, blow the world into to a parallel universe? Annihilate all matter--and us? Destroy the world?

The Boston Globe science writers, physicists Stephen Reucroft and John Swain of Northeastern University aka Dr. Knowledge, have said that having protons smash together in the particle collider at Switzerland's European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) causes one to wonder if a black hole might be created. They then go on to give three reasons for why this creation of a black hole won't happen. Firstly the theory that a black hole may be created depends on other theories that assume extra dimensions and specify that the energy required for such a black hole is less than that needed for the creation of a cosmic black hole in the known universe.

Second, they say the existence of black holes is still theoretical; no empirical proof of black holes is currently in hand. Acquiring proof of black hole theory is thwarted by the theoretical necessity of time slowing down near densely heavy objects (i.e., black holes), so objects being drawn irresistibly into a black hole pursue their fate of annihilation at infinitely, and therefore unobservably, slow speeds.

Third, ultrahigh energy cosmic rays throughout the universe are colliding at high velocities everywhere all the time, including, apparently, on Earth and the moon. So while there may be great scientific excitement about designing and controlling these collisions for experimental purposes, in the cosmos, they are really a common occurrence.

Fox News reports a lawsuit has been filed by Hawaiians Walter Wagner and Luis Sancho against the Department of Energy, Fermilab, CERN and the National Science Foundation in an effort to delay the start up of CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) long enough for the latest though unreleased version of CERN's internal safety review to be examined by scientists who are not involved in CERN's experiment.

CERN scientists do not deny that micro black holes will be formed in the collisions, but they state that these micro black holes will dissipate quickly rather than collect together to create one large black hole powerful enough to begin swallowing all matter in its path. CERN scientists also do not deny that the "strangelet" particles, which Wagner's lawsuit cautions against, will be formed. But here, again, they state that these strangelet particles would quickly dissolve before being able to freeze the planet.

New Scientist reports that the spokesperson for CERN, James Giles, called Wagner's concerns and assertions "complete bunk." He further stated that the LHC will start up this year (2008) and that in addition to the world having terrific new science as a result of the LHC, the world will still be here a year from now to enjoy the new science.

New Science also describes how the aforementioned "strangelets" theoretically operate. These "killer strangelets" are hypothesized bits of matter that have what are called "strange" quarks in addition to "up" and "down" quarks. Up and down quarks are components of stable ordinary matter with which we are so familiar. Should strangelets happen to be stable and carry a negative charge, they would be attracted to the up and down quark particles. Strangelet matter (strange + up + down quarks) would destroy the nuclei of ordinary matter (up + down quarks), which would convert ordinary matter to strange matter and eventually alter the whole of Earth.

Also, a 2003 internal safety review that had been released by CERN declared that "exotic magnetic monopole" particles might be created that could conceivably destroy protons in ordinary matter atoms, thus indefinably altering the nature of matter but that there was no danger of widespread reaction leading to disaster.

Lewis Page of The Register (UK) rather wittily points out that the black holes could also act as "spacewarp wormhole portals into alternate universes" and "catapult the entire world through a rift in the very fabric of space-time, into another universe." This other parallel universe would, of course, have unknowable properties that may or (most likely) may not be compatible with the baryonic matter properties of Earth.

CERN's James Gilles concludes his rebuttal to the charge that dangerous particle conditions could inadvertently be produced in the LHC by making this statement, replete with dubious logic: "What we want to do is get this machine up and running. We'll show people that the world is not going to disappear."

Similar stories appeared in the India Times and other news sources around the world. What are we to conclude? First, that Wagner's lawsuit has garnered a lot of international attention for a dissenting opinion. Second, that the latest as yet unreleased CERN internal safety review had better be more sound than their spokesperson's logic. Third, that it may be time to decide which god you think is the one true living god and creator of the universe and say your prayers. Once CERN's LHC starts up, this option and the particle disaster debate may be over. Or Giles may be right: People of the world may see that in a year from now, the world is still here.

Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/04/21/will_new_collider_create_black_holes_that_destroy_us_all/

Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342854,00.html

New Science: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13555-particle-smasher-not-a-threat-to-the-earth.html

Lewis Page, The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/28/lhc_cern_hawaiian_botanist_lawsuit/