A scientist warns that experiments with a particle accelerator could implode the Earth | MNN

Since scientists have built massive particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, there have been serious warnings of what could happen if the experiments went wrong. None of these sinister scenarios have come true … yet.

According to a thesis by astronomer Martin Rees, it might only be a matter of time before a disaster occurs, reports The Telegraph. In his new book entitled "From the Future: Perspectives for Humanity", Rees details his concerns.

"Maybe a black hole could form, then suck everything that surrounds it," writes Rees. "The second frightening possibility is that the quarks are reassembled into compressed objects called strangelets, which in itself would be harmless, but in some cases a strangelet could, by contagion, convert everything he encounters into a new form of matter, turning the entire earth into a hyperdense sphere of about one hundred meters in diameter ".

One hundred meters are roughly the size of a football field. It's the whole Earth, condensed into this tiny space. Obviously, that would mean the end of life on our planet.

To understand how this might be possible, consider that particle accelerators are large, high-energy structures that use electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles at a speed close to that of light. In general, once the particles have reached these incredible speeds, they are ready to collide with each other. This causes the explosion of particles in their constituent parts so that we can learn about the fundamental particles that make up our universe. The most powerful particle accelerator is the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. It is also the largest machine in the world.

Such experiments, using such powerful machines, can produce unpredictable results by their very design. That's how we learn results. But when you deal with the fundamental particles that make up the cosmos, it's scary to think of what might happen if you crush them at such a high speed.

Take a deep breath

Before sinking into total panic, it is worth remembering that Rees' nightmare concerns are not entirely conventional, nor does anything indicate that they are imminent. The coldest heads tend to override this issue.

For example, according to CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), the organization that manages the Large Hadron Collider: "Could Strangelets merge with ordinary matter and change it into a strange matter?" Ion Collider, RHIC , in 2000 in the United States, "they write on their website.

"A study done at the time showed that there was no reason to worry, and RHIC has been around for eight years, looking for strangelets without detecting any."

Even the late Stephen Hawking has spoken out in favor of experiments on particle accelerators. "The world will not end when the LHC starts, the LHC is absolutely safe," Hawking said. "Collisions that release more energy occur millions of times a day in the Earth's atmosphere and nothing serious happens."

This is an important and somewhat comforting point. The atmosphere of our planet is constantly bombarded by particles that are propelled by various powerful events that occur in our galaxy and beyond. This causes collisions just as or more powerful than anything we produce with artificial particle accelerators on the surface of the Earth.

Although the risk still exists that one of these collisions produces rare and catastrophic results, the odds are unlikely, and such collisions occur whether we conduct our experiments or not.

"Nevertheless, physicists should be cautious when carrying out experiments generating unprecedented conditions, even in the cosmos," writes Rees.

Effectively. As with everything, prevention is better than cure. It would probably be a good idea to follow Rees's advice. Although the chances of a catastrophic event occurring are minimal, we are talking here about the end of life on Earth. It only takes one experience to end it.

A scientist warns that experiments with a particle accelerator could implode the Earth

The Earth could be reduced to the size of a football field if a particle accelerator experience goes awry, says Martin Rees.