CERN scientists have turned lead into gold
A long-sought goal of medieval alchemy has been achieved, albeit fleetingly. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) successfully converted lead into gold using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s premier particle accelerator. Unlike the mystical transmutations of legend, these LHC experiments involve colliding subatomic particles at immense speeds, manipulating lead’s nuclear structure to momentarily transform it into gold.
Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 rumoured to be the thinnest foldable
The LHC frequently smashes lead ions together to generate extremely hot, dense matter mirroring the conditions of the early universe after the Big Bang. During these analyses, CERN scientists observed instances where near-miss collisions caused lead nuclei to lose protons or neutrons. Given that lead atoms possess only three more protons than gold atoms, specific LHC collisions resulted in lead atoms shedding precisely enough protons to become gold atoms. However, this alchemical transformation was incredibly short-lived, lasting only a fraction of a second before the newly formed gold atom disintegrated into various subatomic particles.
While medieval alchemists would undoubtedly be astounded by this feat, the LHC experiments conducted between 2015 and 2018 yielded a mere 29 picograms of gold, according to CERN. Subsequent trials, benefiting from regular LHC upgrades, nearly doubled this amount. Nevertheless, the resulting mass remains trillions of times smaller than what would be required for even a single piece of jewellery. The CERN scientists’ primary interest lies not in amassing precious metals but in meticulously studying the fundamental interactions that facilitate this nuclear transmutation.
See also
Marco Van Leeuwen, spokesperson for the A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) project at the LHC, emphasized the remarkable sensitivity of their detectors. “It is impressive to see that our detectors can handle head-on collisions producing thousands of particles, while also being sensitive to collisions where only a few particles are produced at a time, enabling the study of electromagnetic ‘nuclear transmutation’ processes,” he stated. This achievement highlights the LHC’s capabilities in probing the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces that govern their transformations, bringing a modern, scientific perspective to the ancient dream of transmutation.
Crédito: Link de origem