Explore The Secrets Of The Universe...because Science

Big things are happening in particle science and I bet you didn't even know about it! What does dark matter, physics, bosons, Iron Man, photons and the speed of light have in common? The Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator.

What in the world is a particle accelerator?

Image: CERN / Via home.web.cern.ch

The Large Hadron Collider or LHC is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It first started up on September 10, 2008, and remains the latest addition to CERN’s accelerator complex. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.

Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams travel at close to the speed of light before they are made to collide. The beams travel in opposite directions in separate beam pipes – two tubes kept at ultrahigh vacuum. They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field maintained by superconducting electromagnets. The electromagnets are built from coils of special electric cable that operates in a superconducting state, efficiently conducting electricity without resistance or loss of energy. This requires chilling the magnets to ‑271.3°C – a temperature colder than outer space. For this reason, much of the accelerator is connected to a distribution system of liquid helium, which cools the magnets, as well as to other supply services.

LHC is about 17 Miles in Circumference

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This is some serious stuff and it's hotter than the sun! wtf!

Tony Stark made a particle accelerator in Iron Man 2

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"Particle accelerators have been in the zeitgeist for a couple of years now because of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland," says Todd Satogata, a physicist in the Collider-Accelerator Department at Brookhaven National Labs. "There are good things and bad things about the portrayals of particle accelerators in media."

According to Satogata, particle accelerators are built to accelerate and collide neutrons, protons and other the subatomic particles at very high speeds. And while they are can create new elements—an event that occurs every 5 or 10 years—it doesn't happen exactly as Iron Man 2 portrays it. "You smash the nuclei of particles together, and sometimes enough of them stick together that a new element is created [with] a new nucleus of an element that's heavy enough to be stable," Satogata says. "But it's not really stable. Most of the new elements that get created like this last billionths of a second before they disintegrate." Because of this instability, it's very difficult to store elements as Stark does in his arc reactor: They need to be moving at nearly the speed of light. (read more)

Inside the Large Hadron Collider

CERN

Imagine seeing and learning more about the LHC in an IMAX or BIG SCREEN theater! You can help make it happen! Purchase the DVD/Blu-Ray or Tickets to see on the big screen at the Indiegogo page!

SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE - The Film

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The purpose of this film is to encourage a new way of thinking about science and to bring the often misunderstood world of particle physics down to Earth for the masses to understand and appreciate,

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The film aims to build interest in STEM Education

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Science literacy is at an alarming 30% in the United States. Furthermore, there is an overwhelming underrepresentation of diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields that are often seen as unapproachable and out of reach. Current culture has struggled to effectively foster a diverse, new generation of talent in a space that drives innovation and creates high-quality jobs. Perhaps most importantly, we have veered away from the innate value and fulfillment in understanding the universe in which we live. The story of the LHC is inspiring, and the discoveries that await within it are truly exciting.

Join the quest and #unlocktheuniverse

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Help explain secrets of the universe with a new film that will be distributed globally. The film will take the viewer into the LHC where few have been to see how this amazing tool works and to unlock further mysteries of the unknown.

Indiegogo Campaign is LIVE!

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Contribute to the Indiegogo campaign so you too can travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to explore the most extraordinary machine on Earth: the Large Hadron Collider where audiences will get an exclusive look of the colossal LHC!

Get cools perks when you contribute!

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By helping to bring this film around the world, you can take home some awesome perks. From a tshirt to DVD or Blu-Ray to tickets to see the film on the big screen!

Click here to visit the campaign page and choose your reward and help bring this project to life!

Tony Stark approves of science...

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and you should too.

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