Philosophy
Again I question the efficacy of theoretical physics. Here it is stated by two physicists that according to the resolution of Einstein's field equations that black holes may be a result of high energy physics...but there is no evidence.
However, the fact that the solution of these Einstein field equations suggests that black hole formation could be possible at the LHC is a far cry from actually detecting it. “Some are already taking this very seriously,” Choptuik says. “However, I don’t think that we are likely to actually see any black holes at the LHC, even if it is possible.”
The math says "yes" but no empirical evidence. This is just not sound science.
One of the concerns that has been voiced about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is that it could result in the formation of black holes that could destroy the world. While most scientists dismiss claims that anything produced in the LHC would destroy the planet, there are some that think that black formation could be seen with LHC collisions of sufficiently high energy. This idea has gotten a further boost from recent efforts by Matthew Choptuik at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Frans Pretorius, at Princeton University in New Jersey.
“What we did was a calculation,” Choptuik tells PhysOrg.com. “We solved some of the Einstein field equations describing head on soliton collisions at certain energies.” Choptuik and Pretorius present their work, and their conclusions, in Physical Review Letters: “Ultrarelativistic Particle Collisions.”
“Our calculation produced results that most were expecting, but no one had done the calculation before. People were just sort of assuming that it would work out,” Choptuik says. “Now that these simulations have been done, some scientists will have a better idea of what to look for in terms of trying to see if black holes are formed in LHC collisions.”
Choptuik points out that there has been an effort for more than 50 years to marry particle physics with the idea of gravity. “At the level of classical physics we think we understand gravity pretty well,” he explains. “However, at the quantum mechanical level, gravity is not at all well understood. Scientists have been looking for a way to understand quantum gravity in the same way as we understand how the smallest particles work on a quantum level. While solving these equations doesn’t answer all the questions, it does substantiate what we have already assumed.”
One of the keys to the principles behind these field calculations is string theory. String theory suggests that there are several dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions (plus time) that we see in classical physics. “If extra dimensions do exist, they could be as large as 10s to 100s of a micrometer. And if those extra dimensions are big enough, then there is a chance that the particle collisions at the LHC might be able to form black holes,” Choptuik says.
Of course, these black holes would be quite tiny, and difficult to detect. On top of that, they would evaporate almost instantly, making it even more difficult to detect whether they had even existed. “In collision like this, you would have to look at the debris,” Choptuik explains. “You’d look at the decay pattern in space. In a normal collision, you would get jets of debris. If a black hole was created and evaporated, the pattern would look more spherical than jet-like.”
However, the fact that the solution of these Einstein field equations suggests that black hole formation could be possible at the LHC is a far cry from actually detecting it. “Some are already taking this very seriously,” Choptuik says. “However, I don’t think that we are likely to actually see any black holes at the LHC, even if it is possible.”
- "nyt's" Dennis Overbye Offers A Primer On The Lhc For The Layperson
"A Primer on the Great Proton Smashup" by Dennis Overbye April 2nd, 2010 The New York Times For those whose physics knowledge was a bit rusty, the news about the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest physics machine, might have been puzzling....
- Lhc--the Philosophy Of...
"What will the Large Hadron Collider reveal?" The Large Hadron Collider could open new frontiers in our understanding of space and time and the laws of nature. by Steve Giddings January 5th, 2010 latimes.com With its successful test run at the end...
- "fear And Trembling"...of The Unknown
"Fear and trembling"...shades of Y2K? "CERN hopes LHC report will dispel doomsday fears" by Jon Cartwright June 23rd, 2008 physicsworld.com A report from the CERN laboratory near Geneva has restated the conclusion that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)...
- S. Hawking Documentary
Stephen Hawking at 21 "...Hawking, who is now 66, hints at this: "I would have liked to have done more," he concedes, "in particular to have found a complete theory of quantum gravity and the early universe." Wishful thinking and a fundamental philosophical...
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I think, as I have said before, that it is time for a re-evaluation in physics...that mere mathematical expressions are insufficient as an epistemological sources without evidence...reverence for the scientific method...if not, then we move into the realm...
Philosophy
Blackholes at LHC predicted but no "evidence"
Again I question the efficacy of theoretical physics. Here it is stated by two physicists that according to the resolution of Einstein's field equations that black holes may be a result of high energy physics...but there is no evidence.
However, the fact that the solution of these Einstein field equations suggests that black hole formation could be possible at the LHC is a far cry from actually detecting it. “Some are already taking this very seriously,” Choptuik says. “However, I don’t think that we are likely to actually see any black holes at the LHC, even if it is possible.”
The math says "yes" but no empirical evidence. This is just not sound science.
"Einstein equations indicate possibility of black hole formation at the LHC"
by
Miranda Marquit
April 6th, 2010
PhysOrg.com
by
Miranda Marquit
April 6th, 2010
PhysOrg.com
One of the concerns that has been voiced about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is that it could result in the formation of black holes that could destroy the world. While most scientists dismiss claims that anything produced in the LHC would destroy the planet, there are some that think that black formation could be seen with LHC collisions of sufficiently high energy. This idea has gotten a further boost from recent efforts by Matthew Choptuik at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Frans Pretorius, at Princeton University in New Jersey.
“What we did was a calculation,” Choptuik tells PhysOrg.com. “We solved some of the Einstein field equations describing head on soliton collisions at certain energies.” Choptuik and Pretorius present their work, and their conclusions, in Physical Review Letters: “Ultrarelativistic Particle Collisions.”
“Our calculation produced results that most were expecting, but no one had done the calculation before. People were just sort of assuming that it would work out,” Choptuik says. “Now that these simulations have been done, some scientists will have a better idea of what to look for in terms of trying to see if black holes are formed in LHC collisions.”
Choptuik points out that there has been an effort for more than 50 years to marry particle physics with the idea of gravity. “At the level of classical physics we think we understand gravity pretty well,” he explains. “However, at the quantum mechanical level, gravity is not at all well understood. Scientists have been looking for a way to understand quantum gravity in the same way as we understand how the smallest particles work on a quantum level. While solving these equations doesn’t answer all the questions, it does substantiate what we have already assumed.”
One of the keys to the principles behind these field calculations is string theory. String theory suggests that there are several dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions (plus time) that we see in classical physics. “If extra dimensions do exist, they could be as large as 10s to 100s of a micrometer. And if those extra dimensions are big enough, then there is a chance that the particle collisions at the LHC might be able to form black holes,” Choptuik says.
Of course, these black holes would be quite tiny, and difficult to detect. On top of that, they would evaporate almost instantly, making it even more difficult to detect whether they had even existed. “In collision like this, you would have to look at the debris,” Choptuik explains. “You’d look at the decay pattern in space. In a normal collision, you would get jets of debris. If a black hole was created and evaporated, the pattern would look more spherical than jet-like.”
However, the fact that the solution of these Einstein field equations suggests that black hole formation could be possible at the LHC is a far cry from actually detecting it. “Some are already taking this very seriously,” Choptuik says. “However, I don’t think that we are likely to actually see any black holes at the LHC, even if it is possible.”
- "nyt's" Dennis Overbye Offers A Primer On The Lhc For The Layperson
"A Primer on the Great Proton Smashup" by Dennis Overbye April 2nd, 2010 The New York Times For those whose physics knowledge was a bit rusty, the news about the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest physics machine, might have been puzzling....
- Lhc--the Philosophy Of...
"What will the Large Hadron Collider reveal?" The Large Hadron Collider could open new frontiers in our understanding of space and time and the laws of nature. by Steve Giddings January 5th, 2010 latimes.com With its successful test run at the end...
- "fear And Trembling"...of The Unknown
"Fear and trembling"...shades of Y2K? "CERN hopes LHC report will dispel doomsday fears" by Jon Cartwright June 23rd, 2008 physicsworld.com A report from the CERN laboratory near Geneva has restated the conclusion that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)...
- S. Hawking Documentary
Stephen Hawking at 21 "...Hawking, who is now 66, hints at this: "I would have liked to have done more," he concedes, "in particular to have found a complete theory of quantum gravity and the early universe." Wishful thinking and a fundamental philosophical...
- Time To Re-evaluate Physics
I think, as I have said before, that it is time for a re-evaluation in physics...that mere mathematical expressions are insufficient as an epistemological sources without evidence...reverence for the scientific method...if not, then we move into the realm...