Geneva, Switzerland – A scientific discovery is electrifying the particle physics community: researchers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located at CERN, have confirmed the transmutation of lead into gold. While the quantities of the precious metal produced are infinitesimal, this phenomenon represents a landmark in understanding nuclear interactions and revisits the ancient dream of alchemy in a new scientific light.
The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) experiment is the cornerstone of this observation. At the heart of the LHC, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, lead nuclei are propelled to speeds approaching the speed of light. The resulting high-intensity collisions and electromagnetic interactions cause these atomic nuclei to lose protons and neutrons. Specifically, the loss of three protons from a lead nucleus transforms it into a gold (Au) nucleus, an element with 79 protons.
During the LHC’s second operational phase (Run 2), approximately 86 billion gold nuclei were generated. In the most recent third phase (Run 3), the production rate of this transmutation has increased to about 89,000 nuclei per second. However, it is crucial to note that the amount of gold obtained is microscopic and its existence is extremely brief, decaying almost instantaneously.
The primary goal of this nuclear physics research is not the mass production of gold, but rather to understand how particles behave. Data collected by the ALICE experiment is vital for refining theoretical models of the forces governing the subatomic universe and for better understanding phenomena such as beam loss in accelerators. In addition to the transformation of lead into gold, the experiment also observed the formation of other elements, such as thallium and mercury.
This “modern alchemy” at CERN’s LHC demonstrates science’s extraordinary ability to investigate and manipulate matter at its most fundamental levels, confirming the possibility of elemental transmutation and opening new perspectives for particle physics.
Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/particle-physics/worlds-largest-atom-smasher-turned-lead-into-gold-and-then-destroyed-it-in-an-instant – Live Science: Worlds Largest Atom Smasher Turned Lead Into Gold and Then Destroyed It in an Instant
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/research-frontiers/cern-researchers-briefly-produce-gold-when-lead-nuclei-collide/89290938 – SWI swissinfo.ch: CERN researchers briefly produce gold when lead nuclei collide
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-witness-lead-literally-turn-into-gold-in-the-large-hadron-collider – ScienceAlert: Scientists Witness Lead Literally Turn Into Gold in The Large Hadron Collider
https://www.newsweek.com/lhc-alice-cern-alchemy-large-hadron-collider-turns-lead-gold-2070245 – Newsweek: LHC ALICE CERN Alchemy Large Hadron Collider Turns Lead Gold