Why build the Large Hadron Collider? - page 9
Keywords: Physics Report Large Hadron Collider Basic Introduction Grand Unified Theory Cosmic Rays Anti Matter Extra Dimensions String Theory Dark Matter Higgs Boson
By Jenny on 02/07/2009
Level: A Level (Year 13)
Page Number: 9 of 16 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
have created enough of them to account for dark matter. [7]
Dark energy is known to exist due it having a repulsive force which is accelerating the expansion of the Universe (the rate of expansion and its acceleration can be measured by observations based on Hubble’s law). [7]
ATLAS and CMS will also be able to search for a large variety of other supersymmetric particles other than the “neutralino”. Many physicists have developed supersymmetry in the context of Grand Unified Theories (theories which unite the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces without the problems of the Standard Model), so if it is discovered it may help prove one. [1]
EXTRA DIMENSIONS AND STRING THEORY
The other main target of the ATLAS and CMS experiments is to look out for evidence for String Theory.[1]
String theory is a theory that may unify gravity along with the other three forces in a ‘Theory of Everything’. According to string theory all particles (eg. an electron) rather than being a point in space-time are described as one-dimensional strings. For this to work these strings have to vibrate in 10 dimensions. The explanation for this is that the extra 6 are “folded” down so small that we can’t tell that they’re there. String theory also tries to explain why gravity is weak compared to the other forces (its force is shared with all the other dimensions). Supersymmetry also arises naturally in string theories.[3]8]
The high-energy experiments at the LHC may prise open these folded dimensions enough to allow particles to move between them and our normal world. This could be indicated by the sudden disappearance of a particle (into another dimension) or the appearance of an unexpected particle in an experiment.[8][6]
The LHC experiment may find out whether string theory and extra dimensions really exist, and if they were found this discovery could lead to huge amounts of new developments in physics, not to mention the Theory of Everything.[8]
ANTIMATTER
The purpose of the LHCb experiment is to discover why the Universe seems to be made up entirely of matter, but no antimatter. [1]
Matter and antimatter have the same mass but opposite electric charges. For each basic matter particle there is an antiparticle (for example the negatively charged electron has the positively charged positron as its antiparticle). When a particle and an antiparticle meet they annihilate each other and their mass is transformed into energy. The problem is that when you create an
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