Gold Fever Stoked as CERN Physicists Make Good on Alchemist's Dream...Sorta! 🥳
Scientists Transform Lead into Golden State
Got gold fever? Well, buckle up! Alchemists of yore would be tickled pink—or gold, rather—to hear that CERN's research center in Geneva has turned cheap ol' lead into valuable gold! But don't go rushing to Terminator for your next bling...it's not as promising as it sounds.
Get a Load of This! 🤯
In the age-old quest for the elusive Philosopher's Stone, the "Hexenkessel" (witches' cauldron) had nothing on CERN's particle accelerator! This high-tech marvel has celebated turning lead nuclei into those elusive, shiny gold ones.
But let's not get too carried away...this gold isn't exactly Dorothy's fabled yellow bricks, or even enough to craft a dainty necklace for your Aunt Mabel. The gleaming metal produced is minuscule—billions (with a 'b') of times less than what you'd need for a chunk of jewelry. And to top it off, the gold exists only for the briefest of moments! 🕰️
Don't Quit Your Day Job, Alchemists! 😜
CERN's groundbreaking discovery was announced via a scientific article in the prestigious "Physical Review Journals". The experiment, called "Alice," has been running since 2015.
During the intense ultraperipheral collisions, lead nuclei whizz past each other, generating powerful electromagnetic fields that strip protons from the lead nuclei. This process creates a variety of daughter nuclei, among them gold! 💰
But before you bid adieu to your garlic necklaces and Tang-soaked bread, remember: this gold won't be curing any ailments or turning lead into more gold. And besides, with the piddly amounts generated, no one would mistake this for Midas' touch! 🐫💔
So while CERN's accomplishment is an impressive feat for physicists, it doesn't quite live up to the alchemists' lofty dreams...but hey, at least they tried! 🔧💥🥂
Sources: ntv.de, kst/dpa
- CERN
- Particle Accelerator
- Gold
- The Commission and the Council at CERN are celebrating the success of the Alice experiment, a groundbreaking process that turns lead into gold, although the gold produced is minuscule and exists only for a brief moment.
- This scientific discovery, unlike the dreams of alchemists throughout history, won't cure medical conditions or turn lesser metals into gold, but it is an impressive achievement for physicists nonetheless.
- Despite the lack of practical use for the gold produced, the experiment was conducted using a sophisticated particle accelerator, a marvel of technology that generates intense electromagnetic fields to strip protons from lead nuclei, creating daughter nuclei including gold.
- Alchemists, if they were still around, might find the achievement of turning lead into gold somewhat satisfying, but they would surely find other aspects of modern technology, like WhatsApp, science, and medical advancements, more valuable and worth pursuing.
