Underwater Particle Accelerator Stretching Across the Gulf of Mexico: Potential Key to Unveiling Hidden Physics Laws
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Hey there! Let's dive into an intriguing proposal by physicist Peter McIntyre, a particle accelerator aficionado at Texas A&M University. You know, the one they call the Large Hadron Collider? Well, McIntyre has an ambitious concept that's bigger than you might imagine – a colossal particle accelerator floating in the Gulf of Mexico with a circumference of 2,000 kilometers, dubbed Collider in the Sea.
This conversation has been condensed for a smoother read and clearer understanding.
Todd Feathers, Gizmodo: The Large Hadron Collider measures about 27 km in circumference. Yet, your suggested underwater ring clocks in at approximately 2,000 km. Why prioritize size?
Peter McIntyre: The large ring of superconducting magnets in the Large Hadron Collider generates a magnetic field of around 8 Tesla, about 80,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. To build a higher energy collider, we can either aim for stronger magnetic fields or tunnel a larger circumference-both technologically challenging.
As of today, only one magnet has been successfully operated at 16 Tesla, which is double the Large Hadron Collider's field strength. So, I took the Gulf of Mexico's size for scale. This 2,000-km circumference would allow us to build a collider with 500 tera-electron-volt collision energy, almost quadruple the Large Hadron Collider's power.
The Universe's Mysteries: Solve Them with a Particle Accelerator the Size of the Solar System
Scientists around the world have been working on projects to develop higher field strength superconducting dipoles, aiming for 16 Tesla. Yet, no suitable magnets have been built yet for a collider. This aspiration is the origin of my grand concept.
Gizmodo: What exactly is a particle accelerator, and how does it function?
McIntyre: In a hadron collider, we start with a bottle of hydrogen gas. We ionize the gas in an electrode-filled cell using a high-frequency electric field, stripping the electrons off the hydrogen nuclei, leaving us with protons.
We then accelerate these protons using a series of electromagnetic fields and channel them in a circular path using a strong magnetic field. At specific locations on the ring, we place cavity resonators that provide an energy boost to the particles each time they circle the track. This process has led to the most energetic particle collisions ever achieved by human hands.
The Future of Particle Physics: Predictions, Challenges, and Breakthroughs
Constructing an underwater ring of magnets the size of the Gulf of Mexico might seem challenging, but it's doable. We would employ remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) to install the magnets a hundred meters underwater, maintaining a neutral buoyancy to avoid drifting in ocean currents and escaping harm from hurricanes.
Excited responses from the particle physics community to the Collider in the Sea proposal have been primarily positive, with no major technological obstacles raised during conferences. The project would likely entail a substantial investment of 20–30 billion dollars, but that's within the ballpark of historical expenditures on high energy physics.
Gizmodo: Are you certain there are hidden particles waiting to be discovered through a larger collider?
McIntyre: I'm optimistic but not convinced about the existence of other point-like particles within reach of a terrestrial accelerator. However, the hope remains that a larger collider may reveal new, intriguing particles that could expand our understanding of the universe.
Gizmodo: If discovering a new particle isn't guaranteed, why pursue this grand endeavor?
McIntyre: The quest for knowledge has no guarantee of immediate results. The experiments that led to the understanding of atomic structure, once considered whimsical, have paved the way for most modern technology. We can never truly know the importance of a discovery until we make it. So we venture forth, fueled by curiosity and the dream of pushing the boundaries of human understanding.
- Peter McIntyre's ambitious plan, Collider in the Sea, proposes a particle accelerator with a 2,000 km circumference, almost four times larger than the Large Hadron Collider, aiming to discover new particles and expand our understanding of the universe.
- The Large Hadron Collider's operational magnet has only reached 16 Tesla, double the collider's field strength, but scientists around the world are working on developing higher field strength superconducting dipoles, aiming for 16 Tesla.
- To build a higher energy collider, McIntyre has opted for a larger circumference, as more energy can be achieved in a collider with a larger size without the need for stronger magnetic fields, which are technologically challenging.
- If successful, the construction of an underwater ring of magnets the size of the Gulf of Mexico could lead to the discovery of unthinkable particles and propel us towards an exciting future in science and technology.
