Hottest matter ever created in a lab; may have induced law-of-nature-warping bubble

Get Hot On The One A computer visualization of 7,200,000,000,000 degree F quark-gluon plasma in the RHIC collider Brookhaven National Laboratory, via The New York Times

Until the LHC finally gets up to full speed, Brookhaven National Lab's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) remains the world's most powerful heavy ion smasher. And on Monday, they showed off some of that power by announcing that a recent collision resulted in the hottest matter ever recorded. Coming in at a scorching 7.2 trillion degrees Fahrenheit, the plasma not only recreated the environment of the Big Bang, but might have also resulted in the temporary formation of a bubble within which some normal laws of physics did not apply.

The plasma, which was 250,000 times hotter than the center of the sun, seemed to create small pockets where particles lost their left- or right-handed identity. All particles have a specific spin direction that dictates different behaviors, and many chemical compounds have an orientation that makes mirror-image molecules react differently. According to scientists at the RHIC, the creation of these small, transient, bubbles that voided handedness may explain the process by which matter came to outnumber antimatter in the universe.

These results are still controversial, and have not been independently verified with other experiments. In fact, the RHIC researchers were so astonished by their findings that they spent an entire year trying to formulate alternative explanations for their data before publishing their results.

However, if these results are vindicated, the bubbles seem to hint that the laws of physics are not fixed across all space, and could change depending on size and temperature. By better understanding how the laws of physics shifted as the universe cooled and expanded, this could begin to explain a number of questions about the nature of the universe that remain a mystery.

[The New York Times]

39 Comments

In science articles, "we" use the Centigrade temperature scale. Not Celsius, and definitely NEVER Fahrenheit.

But MIXING the two in a single article? Unforgivable!

Goodbye boson-higgs goodbye standard model hello bubble theory. This could even dispute dark energy, dark matter, dark force. All those were just used to get the math to balance out, none have been seen in the lab yet. It could very well mean we’re living in a special area of space-time and other areas of varying conditions obey different laws. It must be a really interesting time to be an astrophysicist right now. Of course some of those guys are gonna have a hard time just walking away from a lifetime of theory.

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How does one even measure temperatures that high? I mean, seriously...is the temperature really 7.2 trillion degrees F or did a scientist just say, "Who the heck would know the difference between really, really hot, and really, really, really, really hot?"

i just had a thought. what if the LHC or the RHIC could smash 2 particles... create a mini big bang... which creates a mini universe with ultra mini galaxies which creates ultra ultra mini solar systems with mini living planets... there'd be no way to see the inhabitants of those mini planets and no way for them to communicate with their maker.

My thoughts cease to move towards the application of that plasma. Possibly it could be used to dispose of the tons of pounds of nuclear waste. The heat or temperture needed to strip uranium of radioactivity is extremeply high but itcan in plasma. If this can help with the prosess of creating more nuclear power plants thus the waste being disposed of instead of sitting in a bunker in a mountain.

ajohnson1986

from Sioux Falls, South Dakota

SpeedyGonB- seriously, the amount of time and energy it would take to even dispose of one pound of nuclear material in this fashion would be so cost prohibitive that it would never even be considered. However, there was an article on here about a week or two ago that talked about a new matrix that could be made to trap the cesium atoms in nuclear waste. That is a much much much more viable option than trying to run tons of nuclear waste through the RHIC.

popular scientist: Centigrade and Celsius is the same thing.
there are 4 units for measuring heat.
-Celsius
-Kelvin
-Fahrenheit
-Rankine
Kelvin and Rankine share the same zero but increase at a different scale.
1 Kelvin is one degree Celsius hotter than absolute zero whereas
1 Rankine is one degree Fahrenheit hotter than absolute zero.
just thought i would clarify on that.

ekisom just made one of the best comments I've ever read. That is cool, interesting, and hilarious. Good Job.

Dude, heat cannot be measured with those units.

Use units like joule, calorie, or BTU to measure heat.

Oh no, I've made another un-clever correction to a funny comment!

While I'm at it, Centigrade and Celsius are not the same. Celsius is a currently used unit, and Centigrade is an obsolete term.

Dear Ekisom,
If by chance we were able to produce a "mini big bang," the resulting universe would only exists within our own universe for a moment. This new universe would expand, as all new universes do, and exists as its own universe within a dimension we can not see.

natasha,
Or... what if the fraction of the nanosecond that those particles exists in our galaxy is trillions of relative years in their galaxy. I love thinking about these ridiculous possibilities.

Sure, we the LHC might overcome the Higgs field. But who says there isn't another field after that, then another, then another...

NO WAY! You mean to tell me that our laws of physics could be wrong? Every year it seems there is at least one or two new discoveries that don't follow the laws of physics.

I am so glad that the differences in temperature scales and units of heat have been clarified. It would be very confusing for the 911 operator if a universe suddenly expanded in my kitchen. In comment posts, "we" mix terms in a single post for people like you frequently. Forgive me!

7.2 trillion degrees...who measured it? how? and where does the heat go? I would address this question to my maker but i can't seem to get hold of him.

LOL dudefrometheW!!! (Licks & then holds index finger in the air making SSSsssss. sound) LOLOL

Hey ekisom.... your getting to close to the truth bro,LOL be careful..Sharing is good ,but some of them are not ready!

Oh yea by the way, way off the subject... ZATOICHI IS ON HULU NOW <>>OMG!!!

4.000.000.000.000 dregrees celsius??? That's puuh...that's warm^^ Really amazing!

Jan
www.mit-umfragen-geld-verdienen.de

Awesome idea Ekisom, may be why no one can communicate with our creator ^^
Kunjani
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awesome and amazing :0
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wow it's very amazing.

regards
Philly

It is impossible to measure it. at that temperature it is useless to hope.
How do they store it?
I will tell about this story to all my website design team

A very interesting read... but I have to say that unless there is some way to accurately measure what occurred in the epicentre of the collision then we will never know these new and unique nature mechanics. One day I hope they can measure the occurrences with great accuracy.

Adam Butler
Business Specialist in employment handbook technology

Among other things, the group announced it had succeeded in measuring the temperature of the quark-gluon plasma as 4 trillion degrees Celsius, “by far the hottest matter ever made,” Dr. Vigdor said. That is 250,000 times hotter than the center of the Sun and well above the temperature at which theorists calculate that protons and neutrons should melt, but the quark-gluon plasma does not act the way theorists had predicted.
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I wonder how the scientists know that matter outnumber antimatter in the universe.Can thay (and if so how) see if far awy galaxy is made up by matter or antimatter.
The answer is probably quit obvious. I don't see that antimatter would necessary reflect Electromagnetic radiation in a different way than matter if that is the way
they know.
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Pretty awesome! Hard to imagine something this hot.Would be cool with some more info on this like how long did they maintain this temperature, a micro second or what? Isn't the term laws of physics did not apply a bit of.I mean if a particle always acts this way when a high temperature enviroment?

Regards,
Charles Potty

Very interesting article. Invention prototype

wow... that is huge degree. How did he measured it?
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Does this mean I'm going to have to stop giving plasma? I kind of need that extra money....don't let me down on this one science! I love you but you're taking away my side money!!! :)

Oh yea also is this going to make my health insurance go down? I mean after all this is another step in modern medicine. In my opinion the more we are able to cure diseases, and live longer. The cheaper our insurance should be. Maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm crazy. This is just what I think.

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i just had a thought. what if the LHC or the RHIC could smash 2 particles... create a mini big bang... which creates a mini universe with ultra mini galaxies which creates ultra ultra mini solar systems with mini living planets... there'd be no way to see the inhabitants of those mini planets and no way for them to communicate with their maker.
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If someone can have such an immediate and violent reaction to electromagnetic radiation it should be trivial to prove whether it is even possible. In the best case, EHS sufferers require psychiatric help, in the worst case they are committing fraud.

If Sweden is the only country to recognize EHS as a disorder they should pay for a trip, in a Faraday cage, for one of EHS sufferer to visit the James Randi Educational Foundation (not-for-profit organization founded in 1996)
to take paranormal challenge for a chance to win $1,000,000.

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That is just a ridiculous temperature. How is it measured?

This may even dispute darkish energy, dark matter, dark pressure. All those had been used just to find the math to balance out, not one result within the lab however. This would likely mean we’re living in a unique area of space-time and the areas associated with varying conditions obey various laws and regulations. It must be a really fascinating time to end up being a good astrophysicist at this time. Obviously some of those guys tend to be going to have a problem simply walking away from an entire life associated with theory.
---
www.newfreemicrosoftpoints.com

It is now thought that the plasma would have to be a million times more energetic to become a perfect gas. That is beyond the reach of any conceivable laboratory experiment, but the experiments colliding lead nuclei in the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva next winter should reach energies high enough to see some evolution from a liquid to a gas.
Thanks
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I am so glad that the differences in temperature scales and units of heat have been clarified. It would be very confusing for the 911 operator if a universe suddenly expanded in my kitchen. In comment posts, "we" mix terms in a single post for people like you frequently. Forgive me!

www.yuregininsesi.com


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