2008/10/07

CERN black hole

There is an alarm in news media about the risks involved in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at CERN. People dreads LHC could create a black hole that eventually destroys the Earth. In that case, real estate inversions could devalue significantly, and that is a matter of concern.

Physicists assert there is no risk. Examining carefully the details of the process, certainly the risk is uncertain. LHC is going to collide two protons at high velocity and then study the particles remaining. These protons crash each other at an energy of 10^13 eV. Is that too much? Not too much if compared to cosmic rays, reaching peaks of energy up to 10^20 eV. That means that everyday Earth receives protons from outer space (cosmic rays) with energies up to 10 million times bigger. These protons collides with Earth, and nobody has ever detected the formation of a black hole nor any other dangerous thing.

So, our real estate assets are sure. Sure? Not sure. Because there is a point frequently forgotten: LHC is not going to collide two protons, but two packs of protons. Each pack carries 10^15 protons. Wow! That changes things!

Alarmism is for losers. Think about it. If CERN doesn't destroy the Earth everybody that told the contrary is going to be wrong and their prestige severely damaged. But if CERN finally creates a black hole, those people asserting it won't, will not have anything to regret for. So they always win.

But what about the sake of truth? Well, in that case, we have to be responsible and conscious. Let's remember Los Alamos big question before first test: "Could a nuclear explosion burn the atmosphere?". Now we know for certain it couldn't.

Next year we will know if CERN can create black holes. Or not?

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