tisdag 20 oktober 2009

The Safe Disappointing Success of LHC

Steven Weinberg in a recent talk states concerning the scientific reasons behind investing billions of dollars in the Large Hadron Collider:
  • Many of us are terrified that the LHC will discover a Higgs particle and nothing else. That would just confirm the standard model, which everybody believes already. It would not point the way to further progress in solving a deeper problem that physics faces—how to add gravity to the unified theory of the other forces.
  • It would be much more exiting if the Higgs particle is not found rather than if it is found.
  • The Higgs is well within the reach of the LHC.
  • It would be ridiculus to say that LHC was designed to discover the Higgs.
  • No-one will ever see a Higgs particle. What will be seen is its decay particles.
  • It is highly likely that the Higgs will be found.
  • If the Congress had not had the imbecility to cancel the Superconducting Super Collider in 1993, it would have been discovered long ago here in Texas. 
As an scientist, amateur particle physicist and taxpayer I get very intrigued by statements like this: LHC would be a success if the Higgs is found, although a bit disappointing, and even more successful if it is not found, although also a bit disappointing...

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