Transformed Lead into Gold: Groundbreaking Scientific Achievement
In the bygone era of alchemists, gold was a dream, an elusive promise, a mirage. Fast forward to the modern day, and the dream lives on, but in a more scientific form. Researchers at CERN, the European research center located in Geneva, have managed to turn lead into gold through technically achieving the alchemists' age-old quest [1].
But don't pop the champagne just yet! The science behind this transformation is vastly different from the chimerical "Philosopher's Stone." Instead, it's the massive, state-of-the-art particle accelerator nestled within CERN's labyrinthine corridors that plays the role of the legendary stone [1].
The Modern Philosopher's Stone: Particle Accelerators
The process involves hurling lead nuclei down a 27-kilometer-long tunnel at breakneck speeds, nearly at the speed of light [1]. In these near-miss high-energy collisions, the intense magnetic fields of the nuclei induce a vibration within their structure, resulting in the release of neutrons and protons [1].
To produce a gold atom (with 79 protons) from a lead nucleus, three protons need to be plucked from the lead nucleus used in the LHC beams [1]. The resulting amount of gold produced, however, falls billions of times short of what would be required to craft a single piece of jewelry [1]. Furthermore, the gold exists fleetingly, lasting only for an infinitesimal fraction of a second [1].
CERN has rejected any enthusiasm fueled by the dream of amassing a legendary treasure trove, emphasizing that the gold produced would be insufficient and short-lived [1].
CERN: Where Particles Collide
Although most famous for its efforts to decipher the building blocks of the universe, CERN's research goes beyond mapping the cosmos. One of its projects is creating plasma under high-energy collisions of lead nuclei. This plasma is thought to have filled the universe shortly after the Big Bang, and from it, today's known matter may have emerged [1].
From Alchemy to the Science of Subatomic Particles
Though the industry of alchemy seems antithetical to the rigorous, empirical methodology of nuclear physics, the connection between the two is tenuous yet undeniable [1][2]. The process in use at CERN is not magic but a nuclear reaction where lead nuclei are altered when they collide at extreme speeds, causing the loss of protons due to electromagnetic forces [1][2].
With this latest revelation at CERN, the dreams of medieval alchemists come utter whispers, their visions of international treasure now synonymous with the ephemeral brilliance of science's subatomic dance.
[1] ntv.de, kst/dpa
- CERN
- Particle Accelerator
- Gold
[2] Enrichment Data: The CERN particle accelerator, specifically the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), transmuted lead atoms into gold nuclei through a nuclear reaction. This occurs when lead ions (with 82 protons) are hurled down a 27-kilometer-long tunnel at extraordinary speeds, near the speed of light. The collisions create intense electromagnetic fields that, in turn, cause lead to lose three protons, transforming the lead nucleus into a gold nucleus with 79 protons. This process is fundamentally different from chemical or classical alchemy; it is rooted in nuclear physics.
- The European research center, CERN, has achieved a scientific milestone, mimicking the alchemists' age-old quest by turning lead into gold through a particle accelerator.
- The process at CERN involves hurling lead nuclei down a 27-kilometer-long tunnel, causing a vibration within their structure and resulting in the release of neutrons and protons.
- To produce gold, three protons need to be plucked from the lead nucleus used in the LHC beams, but the amount of gold produced is insufficient and short-lived.
- CERN's research extends beyond the cosmos, including projects like creating plasma under high-energy collisions of lead nuclei, which is thought to have filled the universe shortly after the Big Bang.
- The connection between medieval alchemy and the nuclear physics used at CERN is tenuous yet undeniable, as the process at CERN is a nuclear reaction, fundamentally different from chemical or classical alchemy.
