Why in the News?
In a recent breakthrough at CERN’s ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), scientists observed that near-collisions of lead ions in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can result in the formation of gold atoms and other novel nuclei.
How was Lead converted into Gold?
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About the Large Hadron Collider (LHC):
- The LHC has been working since September 2008 and is the world’s largest particle accelerator.
- Development: Between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists, and hundreds of universities and laboratories across more than 100 countries.
- Location: It lies in a 27-kilometre tunnel under the France–Switzerland border, near Geneva, and is operated by CERN.
- Purpose: It smashes protons or lead atoms together to help scientists study the smallest building blocks of the universe.
- Working Mechanism: About 9,600 magnets guide particles in a circle using strong magnetic fields.
- Speed: Particles travel at 99.999999% the speed of light, creating conditions like the Big Bang.
- Particles Studied: The LHC focuses on quarks (which come in six types) and gluons, which hold quarks together using the strong nuclear force.
- Members: 24 countries spans across the Europe. Japan and US are Observer.
- India and LHC:
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- India signed a cooperation agreement with CERN in 1991 and joined its Large Hadron Collider project in 1996; it became an Associate Member in 2016 after gaining Observer status in 2002.
- India also helped design LHC components such as superconducting magnets, cryogenic systems, and accelerator protection systems.
About the ALICE Experiment:
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| [UPSC 2009] In the year 2008, which one of the following conducted a complex scientific experiment in which sub-atomic particles were accelerated to nearly the speed of light?
Options: (a) European Space Agency (b) European Organization for Nuclear Research* (c) International Atomic Energy Agency (d) National Aeronautics and Space administration |
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