The End of The Universe!

[Swamps]

BOSTON — A subatomic particle discovered last year that may be the long-sought Higgs boson might doom our universe to an unfortunate end, researchers say.

The mass of the particle, which was uncovered at the world's largest particle accelerator — the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva — is a key ingredient in a calculation that portends the future of space and time.

"This calculation tells you that many tens of billions of years from now there'll be a catastrophe," Joseph Lykken, a theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., said Monday (Feb. 18) here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"It may be the universe we live in is inherently unstable, and at some point billions of years from now it's all going to get wiped out," added Lykken, a collaborator on one of the LHC's experiments. [Gallery: Search for the Higgs Boson]

The Higgs boson particle is a manifestation of an energy field pervading the universe called the Higgs field, which is thought to explain why particles have mass. After searching for decades for proof that this field and particle existed, physicists at the LHC announced in July 2012 that they'd discovered a new particle whose properties strongly suggest it is the Higgs boson.

To confirm the particle's identity for sure, more data are needed. But many scientists say they're betting it's the Higgs.

"This discovery to me was personally astounding," said I. Joseph Kroll, a University of Pennsylvania physicist who also works at the LHC. "To me, the Higgs was sort of, it might be there, it might not. The fact that it's there is really a tremendous accomplishment."

And finding the Higgs, if it's truly been found, not only confirms the theory about how particles get mass, but it allows scientists to make new calculations that weren't possible before the particle's properties were known.

For example, the mass of the new particle is about 126 billion electron volts, or about 126 times the mass of the proton. If that particle really is the Higgs, its mass turns out to be just about what's needed to make the universe fundamentally unstable, in a way that would cause it to end catastrophically in the far future.

That's because the Higgs field is thought to be everywhere, so it affects the vacuum of empty space-time in the universe.

"The mass of the Higgs is related to how stable the vacuum is," explained Christopher Hill, a theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. "It's right along the critical line. That could either be a cosmic coincidence, or it could be that there's some physics that's causing that. That's something new, which we didn't know before."

Strikingly, if the Higgs mass were just a few percent different, the universe wouldn't be doomed, the scientists said.

But even if the universe is in for an unfortunate end, there is at least one reason for consolation.

"You won't actually see it, because it will come at you at the speed of light," Lykken said. "So in that sense don't worry."

Source: Yahoo! News

Even though I don't think this is going to happen in our life time, our children's lifetime, or anyone else's life time for that matter, I found this interesting. I remember having an online discussion (I believe a few others here may have been involved also) about how the World would end. Anyway, several people thought that the Universe itself would some how mess itself up some way shape or form. I

Some how, I still believe that there will be some other thing that occurs to Earth that causes its eventual end. I mean we aren't the kindest to our home planet. Also if anyone here reads up on the Solar System, then you would see that Jupiter gets drilled by Asteroids on a frequent basis. Not to long ago, the planet was hit with one that caused an impact larger than the planet Earth. Furthermore, if Jupiter wouldn't have been in its location, then that one woul have came right at Earth. Just think what will happen if one that size were to hit us.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling on now and hope to hear your opinions!

 

[Shane]

How can an asteroid hit Jupiter if it's made of gas? Wouldn't it just go through?

 

[Swamps]

Pay attention in your science classes at school kid. You may learn something.... if not use Google.

 

[Petty]

: Saber Gas won't stop it from getting hit. If anything it would make the asteroid's impact much more dangerous actually. I would hope one the size of earth ever does come our way that we could somehow stop it.

Cue FFVII theme music please. :usa2:

 

[Swamps]

[video=youtube;D_oS8zsO2nU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_oS8zsO2nU&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Here ya go!

 

[Petty]

[video=youtube;D_oS8zsO2nU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_oS8zsO2nU&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Here ya go!

I seen it was edited by Fuji. :

 

[Swamps]

Thanx Fuji! Always willing to help a smurf out!

 

[Petty]

Thanx Fuji! Always willing to help a smurf out!

You a FFVII fan bub?

 

[Swamps]

Hell yeah! I blew off my ex g/f in high school to play Final Fantasy VII one weekend. The only regret I have is that I never defeated the Emerald or Ruby Weapons.... I'm such a failure....

 

[Petty]

Hell yeah! I blew off my ex g/f in high school to play Final Fantasy VII one weekend. The only regret I have is that I never defeated the Emerald or Ruby Weapons.... I'm such a failure....

Man, I would have had her blowing me while playing. : you're my new pal! AHAHAHAHA

 

[Swamps]

Were you able to defeat the two weapons I mentioned? I tried using the Knights of the Round Materia but after I used it once I was dead in the water...

 

[Petty]

Were you able to defeat the two weapons I mentioned? I tried using the Knights of the Round Materia but after I used it once I was dead in the water...

Emerald Weapon:

You need the 4X materia, and Knights Of The Round, and the underwater Materia to beat him.

Ruby Weapon:

4X Materia, Knights Of The Round, and Mimic.