Little Book of the Big Bang
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th e Little Book BigOF TH E Bang a big scientific adventure Everything you always wanted to know about the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER but were afraid to ask www.stfc.ac.uk There are still very big questions about Some people are so <artwork: Nature doing tricks, people watching> Nature doesn’t just sit there. Nature DOES things. And that requires Dear Every- ture interactions, or forces, such has gravity and electricityelectromagnetism. body, Everybody Na fascinated by We don’t understand a lot of what Nature does. Nothing The Earth DOES things... So far, for example, there is no single and complete theory that can much ever The Solar System describe all of the forces (gravity, electricity and so on) together. happens The When we have such a theory we will know Nature better. Milky Wa How The Universe y the Universe that That is one aim of the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER. Tadaaah A BORING Universe , boringly Nature doesn’t just sit The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER will change the way we think about the smoothly, evenly they’re creating there. Nature DOES Universe. the same EVERYWHERE things. And that requires did th e forces, such as gravity and <amazing fact> electromagnetism. a big scientific The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER will concentrate energy so much that it We don’t understand a lot will be as Intense as it was one Billionth of a second after the start of of what Nature does. adventure the Universe, in the BIG BANG. Dear , So far, for example, there is no single and Everybody Spread 2 Universe complete theory that can describe all of The stars are ’s the forces (gravity, electricity and so on) pretty but it <verso> . together. When we have such a theory we called the a bit lonely will know Nature better. That is one aim The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER .. Universe of the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER. An INTERESTING <image: large tin with circular beams inside, placed over a map showing get to be France, Switzerland, Geneva. Label text:> The Large Hadron Collider A VERY LARGE NEW! It collides hadrons, FAST! INTERESTING 100% natural ingredients Universe, And the Scientifically tested more closely we look The best you can buy for investigating the Universe as it is, Wow! You should see at it the more The Large Hadron Collider is at the CERN research centre near Geneva. e. interesting it gets. this plac The LARGE HADRON HADRON x Dr H COLLIDER is changing It’s LARGE when it could the way we think so that it can accelerate particles until they have very high energy. about the Universe. Doctor Ron Head It carries beams of HADRONS. Hadrons are particles made of quarks. all have Protons are one kind of hadron. True! COLLIDER. Mostly the Large Hadron Collider will accelerate protons. It makes the hadrons COLLIDE. True! The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER been so very so that scientists can take a really close look at how Nature does things. Most of your body is empty space - very roughly concentrates energy so much that it is It simulates the Universe as intense as it was one billionth of a 99.999 999 999 999% NOTHING by volume. <recto> The REST is made of quarks and electrons. second after the start of the Universe, in the BIG BANG. different? almost at the beginning of time. .. does what it says on the tin <artwork; faces on TV. Speech bubbles:> Strange but True! Dark matter (and dark energy)... made of... nobody knows. You, me, trees, tarantulas, tortoises, pterodactyls (once)... made of quarks and electrons. There are still very big questions about Some people are so <artwork: Nature doing tricks, people watching> ings... Nature doesn’t just sit there. Nature DOES things. And that requires Dear Every- ture interactions, or forces, such has gravity and electricityelectromagnetism. body, Everybody Na fascinated by We don’t understand a lot of what Nature does. Nothing The Earth DOES th So far, for example, there is no single and complete theory that can much ever The Solar System describe all of the forces (gravity, electricity and so on) together. happens The When we have such a theory we will know Nature better. Milky Wa How The Universe y the Universe that That is one aim of the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER. Tadaaah A BORING Universe , boringly Nature doesn’t just sit The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER will change the way we think about the smoothly, evenly they’re creating there. Nature DOES Universe. the same EVERYWHERE things. And that requires did th e forces, such as gravity and <amazing fact> electromagnetism. a big scientific The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER will concentrate energy so much that it We don’t understand a lot will be as Intense as it was one Billionth of a second after the start of of what Nature does. adventure the Universe, in the BIG BANG. Dear , So far, for example, there is no single and Everybody Spread 2 Universe complete theory that can describe all of The stars are ’s the forces (gravity, electricity and so on) pretty but it <verso> . together. When we have such a theory we called the a bit lonely will know Nature better. That is one aim The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER .. Universe of the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER. An INTERESTING <image: large tin with circular beams inside, placed over a map showing get to be France, Switzerland, Geneva. Label text:> The Large Hadron Collider A VERY LARGE NEW! It collides hadrons, FAST! INTERESTING 100% natural ingredients Universe, And the Scientifically tested more closely we look The best you can buy for investigating the Universe as it is, Wow! You should see at it the more The Large Hadron Collider is at the CERN research centre near Geneva. e. interesting it gets. this plac The LARGE HADRON HADRON x Dr H COLLIDER is changing It’s LARGE when it could the way we think so that it can accelerate particles until they have very high energy. about the Universe. Doctor Ron Head It carries beams of HADRONS. Hadrons are particles made of quarks. all have Protons are one kind of hadron. True! COLLIDER. Mostly the Large Hadron Collider will accelerate protons. It makes the hadrons COLLIDE. True! The LARGE HADRON COLLIDER been so very so that scientists can take a really close look at how Nature does things. Most of your body is empty space - very roughly concentrates energy so much that it is It simulates the Universe as intense as it was one billionth of a 99.999 999 999 999% NOTHING by volume. <recto> The REST is made of quarks and electrons. second after the start of the Universe, in the BIG BANG. different? almost at the beginning of time. .. does what it says on the tin <artwork; faces on TV. Speech bubbles:> Strange but True! Dark matter (and dark energy)... made of... nobody knows. You, me, trees, tarantulas, tortoises, pterodactyls (once)... made of quarks and electrons. Th e LARGE ...does what it HADRON COLLIDER... says on the tin “The next train to arrive will be …oh, too slow …you’ve missed it, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and . again, and again, and again, and LARGE again, and again, and again, and It’s The Large Hadron Collider is so that it can accelerate particles a BIG particle accelerator. The tunnel that holds the until they have very high energy Large Hadron Collider is about as long as the Circle Line on the London Underground. A proton takes about 0.1 Ordinary TV tubes and milliseconds for one circuit of It accelerates beams of X-ray machines contain the tunnel. (Not an ordinary simple particle accelerators. rush hour experience.) HADRONS. Many hospitals have their own small accelerators for producing beams of Hadrons are particles made of quarks. particles for radiation therapy. Protons are one kind of hadron. Mostly the Large Hadron Collider will accelerate protons so that scientists can take a really True! close look at how Nature does things. Particle accelerators are also It makes the hadrons used for drying the ink on soft drinks cans. The Large Hadron Collider is at the CERN research COLLIDE. centre near Geneva. The vacuum inside the LARGE HADRON COLLIDER is as empty as outer space. Creating the vacuum is equivalent to pumping all of the air out of a cathedral. Geneva There are still very big questions about STUFF Existing theory says that there were equal amounts of MATTER and ANTIMATTER at the BIG BANG. But nobody knows why we live in a MATTER Universe. The LARGE HEDRON COLLIDER will test some ideas. Th e LARGE ...does what it HADRON COLLIDER... says on the tin “The next train to arrive will be …oh, too slow …you’ve missed it, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and . again, and again, and again, and LARGE again, and again, and again, and It’s The Large Hadron Collider is so that it can accelerate particles a BIG particle accelerator. The tunnel that holds the until they have very high energy Large Hadron Collider is about as long as the Circle Line on the London Underground. A proton takes about 0.1 Ordinary TV tubes and milliseconds for one circuit of It accelerates beams of X-ray machines contain the tunnel. (Not an ordinary simple particle accelerators. rush hour experience.) HADRONS. Many hospitals have their own small accelerators for producing beams of Hadrons are particles made of quarks. particles for radiation therapy. Protons are one kind of hadron. Mostly the Large Hadron Collider will accelerate protons so that scientists can take a really True! close look at how Nature does things.