World’s largest atom smasher turns lead into gold; alchemy’s greatest moment is here
The team identified the creation of gold nuclei by meticulously analyzing the interaction byproducts using the ALICE Zero Degree Calorimeters (ZDC).
Breakthrough in Understanding Quark-Gluon Plasma, the Primordial Form of Matter in the Early Universe
“Thanks to the unique capabilities of the ALICE ZDCs, the present analysis is the first to systematically detect and analyse the signature of gold production at the LHC experimentally,” said Uliana Dmitrieva of the ALICE collaboration.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
- Nuclear Transmutation:. The LHC achieves this by colliding lead nuclei at near-light speed, creating intense electromagnetic fields that can knock out protons from the lead atoms.
- Gold Production:. When three protons are removed from a lead nucleus (containing 82 protons), the resulting nucleus becomes gold, with 79 protons.
- Ephemeral Gold: The created gold nuclei are extremely short-lived, typically existing for a fraction of a second before they decay into other particles.
- ALICE Collaboration’s Role: The ALICE collaboration at CERN has developed sophisticated methods to detect and analyze the signature of gold production at the LHC, according to ScienceBlog.com.
- Chrysopoeia Reimagined:. This experiment demonstrates the scientific possibility of turning lead into gold, albeit on a subatomic level and for a fleeting moment, fulfilling the alchemists’ dream of transmutation.
Elements heavier than iron, such as gold or lead, are created through elemental transmutations that can naturally occur in supernovae. One goal of alchemy, the transmutation of base substances into gold, is now known to be impossible by chemical means but possible by physical means. As stars begin to fuse heavier elements, substantially less energy is released from each fusion reaction. This continues until it reaches iron which is produced by an endothermic reaction consuming energy. No heavier element can be produced in such conditions.
One type of natural transmutation observable in the present occurs when certain radioactive elements present in nature spontaneously decay by a process that causes transmutation, such as alpha or beta decay. An example is the natural decay of potassium-40 to argon-40, which forms most of the argon in the air. Also on Earth, natural transmutations from the different mechanisms of natural nuclear reactions occur, due to cosmic ray bombardment of elements (for example, to form carbon-14), and also occasionally from natural neutron bombardment (for example, see natural nuclear fission reactor).
