Ep 4. Brian Cox on CERN's Supercollider
Brian Cox is a British physicist who is also a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester. He is known for his charismatic personality and ability to explain complex scientific concepts to a broader audience. In episode 4 of Rad Invention, Brian Cox discusses CERN's Supercollider.
CERN's Supercollider, also known as the Large Hadron Collider, is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. It is located near Geneva, Switzerland, and is used to study the properties of particles by accelerating them to nearly the speed of light and colliding them with one another.
Brian Cox begins by explaining the importance of particle accelerators to our understanding of the universe. Particle accelerators allow scientists to study particles that are too small to see or detect in any other way. By colliding particles together, scientists can observe the debris that is produced and infer the properties of the particles that collided.
Cox also describes the different types of particles that can be produced in the Supercollider, including the famous Higgs boson. The Higgs boson is a particle that was first theorized in the 1960s as a way to explain why particles have mass. In 2012, scientists at CERN announced the discovery of the Higgs boson, which was a major milestone in the field of particle physics.
Cox goes on to explain the engineering behind the Supercollider. The accelerator consists of a massive ring, 27 kilometers in circumference, which contains superconducting magnets capable of producing a magnetic field 100,000 times stronger than the Earth's. The particles are accelerated to nearly the speed of light using a series of smaller accelerators before being injected into the ring.
Cox also discusses the challenges involved in operating such a massive machine. The Supercollider requires constant maintenance, and even the smallest error can cause the whole system to fail. Cox recounts an incident in 2008 when an electrical fault caused a helium leak that damaged the magnets and delayed the launch of the Supercollider for several years.
The episode concludes with a discussion of the future of particle accelerators. Cox highlights the need for larger and more powerful machines to continue making breakthroughs in particle physics. He also emphasizes the importance of collaboration between different countries and scientific institutions to make these advancements possible.
Overall, Brian Cox's episode on CERN's Supercollider is a fascinating exploration of one of the most impressive scientific achievements of our time. Cox's ability to explain complex scientific concepts in an engaging and accessible way makes this episode a must-see for anyone interested in science and technology.