It looks like we are getting closer to uncovering the origins of our universe. Scientists at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, used the Large Hadron Collider to generate a controlled mini-‘Big Bang’ to understand how it could have happened in reality.
The aim of the experiment was to determine how exactly the Universe began to operate. To achieve this, the scientists created subatomic explosions, similar to those that had happened at the time of the Big Bang, using particles of lead.
These particles were cast at a speed equal to the speed of light, and when the Large Hadron Collider, the highest-energy particle accelerator in the world, collide with them in a vacuum at a temperature of 271 degrees Celcius below zero, these unique photographs were taken.
The spokesperson of CERN, particle physicist, Christine Sutton described the process:
“When two ions of lead are colliding, then basic particles, such as π-ions, release.“
Such main subatomic particles are found quite often in the Universe, which means that by being further studied they will help us better understand how exactly and by what the Universe was formed.
In fact, what is depicted in the photos are the traces of particles because the particles themselves are impossible to see.
The CERN is built to be able to handle incredible powers. For example, when scientists use 9300 magnets to force two lead ions to collide with each other, the produced heat is 100,000 times higher than the Sun’s.
However, in order to make the magnets operate, the helium in superfluid form is used to maintain the temperature of the accelerator at-271 degrees celsius.
The scientific community is enthusiastic about the result of the experiment because it’s the first time we get a visual representation of the Big Bang using scientific data obtained from a real-life process.
The digital images in the video below are the result of a controlled “Big Bang”, created by the scientists at CERN:
