CERN LHC Reaches Its Goals For 2010 90
Anonymous Dupaeur writes "The goals for the first run of the most powerful particle collider (and the most energetic storage ring since ISR) were recently surpassing the 10^32 level of luminosity, with a destructive 15 MJ energy per-beam. This is a significant milestone, opening the way to collect more and more data. The current plan is to stop the proton collisions soon, and provide an ion (Pb) beam and conclude this year with a X-mass break. The next year is expected to bring at least one inverse femtobarn of data, which is achievable with such beam power. After that, the entire accelerator complex will be shut down for a year, due to budget costs for science in Europe."
X-mass? (Score:5, Funny)
conclude this year with a X-mass break.
Is that supposed to be some kind of punny joke?
Re:X-mass? (Score:5, Funny)
conclude this year with a X-mass break.
Is that supposed to be some kind of punny joke?
It's just a subtle reminder to never cross the beams.
Re:Inverse!!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Well, if a femtobarn is a really really small barn, then its inverse would be a really really small anti-barn.
When two such particles collide, you'd better get the flock out. At least that's the little I've herd.
I wonder if.. (Score:4, Funny)
Thank You Recession! (Score:2, Funny)
The Great Recession that Saved the World! Don't worry, our politicians are dutifully working on more.
Re:I haven't been following this. (Score:5, Funny)
There you go again, always complaining about black holes. You can bet that if they produced a whole gang of planet-destroying white holes it wouldn't even make the back page of the crime section.
15 MJ energy (Score:2, Funny)
Actually, it's only 14.9999999.... MJ, so we're safe. [slashdot.org] Thank goodness!
Re:I haven't been following this. (Score:5, Funny)
Have they used the Large Hardon Collider to make a black hole yet?
There has never been more of a need for the -1 obvious flag.
Re:Inverse!!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Wow. Your analogy didn't make anything clearer. I'm just as confused now as I was prior to reading your comment. Perhaps more so!
*sniff*
I'm so proud
Re:I wonder if.. (Score:1, Funny)
I think they're more worried about what to do when the femto-chickens come home to roost.
The universe is at it again.... (Score:1, Funny)
You do realize that "Budget cuts force CERN to shut accelerators for year" is yet another example of the God particle coming back in time and preventing its discovery. Indeed I'd wager that this entire "Great recession" is do to the God Particle's insistence on anonymity. That or the theory that in this universe the CERN collider cannot operate else a black hole would open and swallow us all.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68G3NL20100917
Re:I haven't been following this. (Score:3, Funny)
Look, call me prejudiced if you want, but to me Supermassive Black Hole just sounds more threatening than White Dwarf. Or any kind of dwarf for that matter.
Re:Inverse!!!! (Score:4, Funny)