Large Hardon Collider

[Kryssan]

If cosmic rays hitting earth are more energetic than the LHC, why not study their points of impact? Or would it not be possible to have sensor equipment measure a natural particle collision as well as within a controlled environment?

The Earth's magnetic field diverts most cosmic radiation so it never reaches the surface of the Earth. I guess we'd have to bring the equipment up there to the upper atmosphere/space. That would make things complicated and costly. Also, in a collider, we have a particle traveling nearly at C, and another at the same speed but in the opposite direction. But in space, we have cosmic radiation at nearly C hitting objects sitting still. So the center of mass of the system moves away from us at C when measuring experiments in cosmic ray collisions, whereas the center of mass of the collisions we create on Earth is pretty much stationary with respect to the laboratory.

Actually, it doesn't divert it. It converts it, into other things. Or scatters it. I guess that can fall under diverting somewhat. 80% of the charged particles existing at sea level are the scattered muons of cosmic rays. And those little babies are an important part of the cosmic ray induced fission process. Which happens to be one of my favourite sources for intrinsic neutrons in reactor cores. Granted, it's only about 1 neutron per second, ish, which unfortunately makes it "an unreliable and insignificant source of neutrons". But it does let me say that sunlight causes fission, which is a gold star in my book. Even if it is an extremely roundabout way of it.

[Pirian]

If I'm anywhere near right, Hawking can not be, if black holes decay, then the Universe is not what I thought.

What do you propose happens to black holes if they do not decay? Or what happens to the mass, is it "eternally lost" in the black hole?

[Neosutra]

How ya figure?

Because the current predictions of 13.7 billion years are based off assumptions for the background radiation cooling that are being shown to be highly inaccurate and even suggest the models may be off. It is suggested that the actual age may be upwards of twice that value.

[Mizango]

On a related note Nat. Geo channel is talking about how the Earth got water and what we know a fact so far. If you recall this is what Max and I were talking about 2 pages ago. It is last weeks re-run of Naked Science incase anyone was interested.

[Rhinox]

Suicidal Planet Seems On Death Spiral Into Star

just read this thought this was fascinating and thought you guys might enjoy it if it hasn't been talked about already.

[Max™]

What do you propose happens to black holes if they do not decay? Or what happens to the mass, is it "eternally lost" in the black hole?

Smolin and I actually agree on this in different ways.

I figure the Universe which produced the hole will decay before the hole itself, violating the whole "entropy always tends to maximum" in a sense, but only in that it takes a bit of entropy from this Universe and pushes it further down the cycle to another Universe.

I'll have to look up on the numbers, but the estimates I saw weren't just based on the background temperature, but numerous other things which leave the age somewhere in that general range.

[Mizango]

Bumped for Oldoldman.

He is apparently a Physicist yet he never posts in our designated thread. Bumping this so you cant and say you cant find this thread.

Less looking stupid and more sharing your physics prowess for all to see!

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

Bumped for Oldoldman.

He is apparently a Physicist yet he never posts in our designated thread. Bumping this so you cant and say you cant find this thread.

Less looking stupid and more sharing your physics prowess for all to see!

http://www.valleycentral.com/uploade...ets061609g.jpg

God damn right, nugga.

[Pirian]

I have been slightly disappointed lately by the lack of conversation in this thread

[zoobernut]

If I get accepted back to school I am sure I will have tons to talk about. I just reapplied for college tonight. I am thinking of getting my math degree. Not necessarily physics related but it might give me something to talk about new.


Edit: Just to clarify I already have a bachelors degree and I want another to be able to advance my career at my current job.

[Neosutra]

Go for masters, why would you go for another bach?

[Rockstaru]

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1...ringtheory.png

Sorry if it's already been posted.

[zoobernut]

Go for masters, why would you go for another bach?

My first bachelors is in Video Game Art and Design so there were not many applicable Masters programs that I could apply for. The only one that would work does not pertain to my current job which means they would not pay for my school.

They will pay for a Math degree though.

[Max™]

Math is related to Physics!

Physics is Math for Potheads.


I've been digesting an interesting paper by Schiller, I'll have much to talk about after I discuss it more with him.

A speculation about the unification of physics: the strand model

[Eliseos]

How does he explain mass, if the Higgs doesn't exist in his model?

[Kryssan]

How does he explain mass, if the Higgs doesn't exist in his model?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/...640d94.jpg?v=0


Sorry, couldn't help myself.






But honestly, I haven't read his theories, so I wouldn't be able to put any light on the subject for you.

[Max™]

The same way I do.

Matter is actually a part of spacetime, there is "more spacetime" inside of a particle than there is in "empty spacetime", and spacetime is not empty, it is an actual thing with properties and behaviors.

Mass is just interaction, the Higgs idea is silly, as it's just trying to LITERALLY make up a glue to make particles adhere to spacetime without saying that particles ARE spacetime.

Looking at it from having considered all different sides of this problem, having accepted a non-higgs model makes sense, while the Higgs would be a disaster if it were found since it means instead of having a single "substance" which everything is made of, we arbitrarily have two or three.

Energy/Matter
Higgs Bullshit
Spacetime

or

Spacetime, with kinks which behave like Energy/Matter depending on their topological state, or flat spacetime in more trivial arrangements.

[Neosutra]

I dont think the particles you are looking for are space time Max... You are going in the right direction by considering the massive properties to be a result of the interactions, but dont start looking for a "spacetime" particle. I may be misrepresenting you here, as that may not be what you were saying.

[Eliseos]

If mass is just spacetime, what gives something more spacetime (like my hand) over "empty space"? Or am I thinking about this wrong?

Also, he says singularities do not exist, how does he rectify the big bang and black holes?

[Max™]

I dont think the particles you are looking for are space time Max... You are going in the right direction by considering the massive properties to be a result of the interactions, but dont start looking for a "spacetime" particle. I may be misrepresenting you here, as that may not be what you were saying.

Totally isn't what I'm saying.

I'm saying spacetime is all there is, that particles are a silly idea.

The Universe is a body of spacetime and nothing else.

All the interesting little things we observe, all the interesting little things we're made of, should be resolvable as nothing but different states of the fundamental structure of spacetime itself.

The shape of the spacetime making up the quarks and electrons making up your hand is in a (most likely for the time being) stable series of knots.

The topological changes which would be required to untie those knots are more expensive than simply maintaining the knots themselves in their current state.

Tying them is an expensive process, pretty sure it requires a black hole to actually tie new knots btw, but leaving them tied is not.

You can have black holes and big bangs without singularities, singularities only arise in point particle models, they're a sign that you fucked up somewhere, just like infinite results from finite calculations are in mathematics.