Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider

Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider
Amir D. Aczel
Published by Crown Publishers, New York in 2010
ISBN 978-0-307-59167-8
272 p. Illustrated

Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider leads me back to my first course in Quantum Physics -fascinating stuff back in the mid 1960s. Our year of Honours Chemistry was the first year to take Quantum Physics - I have forgotten now what course my husband took (he was one year ahead of me in Chemistry).

Although not a Physics scholar by any means; I enjoyed physics and especially mechanics. I like working through those dreadfully difficult problems. But I found chemistry fascinating and hence that is where I spent my university days - in a chemistry laboratory for the most part when we weren't taking classes or enjoying coffee (I do not actually drink coffee) in the cafeteria. We were a small class (i.e. 16 if I remember correctly). I finished my third of four years of Honours Chemistry but got married and finished off my degree as a pass degree hence B.A. after my name although 98% of my courses were in mathematics and science!

The first chapter of the book takes one directly into the CERN facility which straddles the border between France and Switzerland (mostly underground) and introduces you to all the main players - all PhD physicists primarily. My husband's PhD is in Chemistry but then he mnoved on from the pursuit of science to a professional degree in Librarianship where he spent his working days at the National Research Council in the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. A brand new building when we arrived in Ottawa with a brand new daughter thirty five years ago in one month's time.

How does this book fit into genealogy? It doesn't except for the nagging question that is always there in one's mind especially after you do your mtDNA test. Where did we come from? How far back can we trace ourselves looking at our mtDNA? Creating the "Big Bang" that is believed to have started our atoms on their way towards the fulfilled Homo sapiens that we now represent. Will we evolve further? What new traits can we/will we acquire as the line moves forward in time? With five great grand nephews our family genes move forward in time although with a different surname. I find even yet there isn't that strong desire for grandchildren that so many have by my age. Perhaps when I am 75 I will feel that desire but somehow I doubt it. I tend to just live by the day thanking God for each new morning and trying to accomplish as much in His Name as I can each day. For truly I see my pursuit of genealogy as a task for God as I lovingly transcribe the ancient texts of the Church - Parish Records. It is something that I can do as my part in the Great Quest.

Chapters two and three take us inside the CERN facility and discuss the history of Quantum Mechanics starting in the late 1800s and continuing up to the present. The cooperation between members of the team at CERN is wonderful to behold and one can expect great happenings to come from their research. Fear of the "Black Hole" creation when performing tests at CERN seem to have disappeared these days and we all await their scientific discoveries.

I then read the appendices (a, b, and c) which detail the workings of the Large Hadron Collider at ATLAS, give details on the meaning of terms and definitions. Probably a good idea to read this material near the beginning of the book.

Chapters four through seven discuss antimatter and why we still exist (antimatter does not exist in our universe but did exist at the time of the "Big Bang" as hypothesized by quantum physicists) and the development of the theory that positrons, muons and tau particles existed and then the eventual experiments that proved their existence with respect to the science that evolved to show their existence. It is all theoretical and reminds me of the extension of the Periodic Table where new elements (that do not occur presently in nature) are added that decay rapidly to smaller elements plus other particles in tiny measurable time. However, it is fascinating to read and I am now up to the years of study when I took Quantum Physics at University. From now on in the book the discussion is on theoretical physics after my year of Quantum Physics.

I love the references that the author makes to the "God" factor. As one delves deeper and deeper into science and why we are here one can only have a stronger and stronger opinion on the existence of God in all of this. That creating hand directing the symphony of life as it emerges from the primordial soup of creation. Else why does antimatter disappear from our universe permitting us to develop through the eons to where we are now trying to view this act of creation.

This then shows why I whose interest is 100% genealogy these days would stop and read this rather fascinating book - Present at the Creation. Perhaps also our trip through Europe which passed (probably 50 miles distant) near to the CERN facility reminding me once again of the ever persistent desire of man/woman to know the mode of creation and how we arrived at this point in time. All of our science these days is geared to an understanding of evolution and how it transpired from second one of our universe. Genealogy itself has become consumed by DNA research.

Chapter 8 discusses quarks and the quark-gluon primordial soup which is theorized to have existed following the "Big Bang." Quarks (and now we are into the search for the Higgs factor) were then drawn together in a systematic fashion to produce elements gradually over time. From this life emerged in a slow process where man's existence is but a short period of that emergence. Genealogy unfolding in our universe.

Chapter 9 discusses the Higgs Boson and the existence of which would prove the Standard Model conceived for Physics. Not all physicists agree with the existence of the Higgs Boson which was produced by a break in the symmetry of nature. The best explanation I have seen thus far is the idea of walking through a field unimpeded which would be like a walk through the primordial soup immediately following creation - no mass to impede you. Then a snowfall occurs (i.e. a cooling) and then your way is impeded by the snow and clumps appear on your shoes thus giving mass to the primordial soup. The Higgs boson is born. Further testing at CERN will prove or disprove the Higgs boson.

Chapter 10 continues the discussion on the Higgs factor and convergence of energies at the time of the "Big Bang." No solution has yet been found to prove convergence and so the Standard Model conceived may yet undergo further change. A difficult chapter and the rest will also be somewhat difficult. My Quantum mechanics is very old in my mind but I will complete the book to see if I can acquire an understanding of dark matter and dark energy.

Chapters 11 to 14 bring us back to CERN and projects there. The reminder of Occam's Razor that the simplest theory is probably the correct one. Physics' Standard Model evolved in the latter part of the 20th century towards "beauty" in the style of presentation because nature itself tends towards the beautiful with symmetry being the usual style. These chapters lead us through the dance of this time period and we sit waiting for the results of the experiments at CERN. Discovering dark mass and dark energy have become the principal goals because postulations about the convergence of all energies (including gravity) immediately following the "Big Bang" work based on the idea of dark mass and dark energy surpassing even the search for the Higgs boson. All of this work lead to String Theory and the solution of the entropy of black holes. But String Theory is also dependent on the tests at CERN although has justified its existence with the solution of entropy. All of this discussion has led to a fear that the tests at CERN will create tiny black holes that could grow and destroy our universe. Although refuted by many eminent scientists the author leaves us wondering about the tests at CERN and here we are awaiting those results.

The Afterword talks about 30 Mar 2010 when the target level of 7 TeV was reached for the two beams of protons (3.5 TeV for each stream one clockwise and one counterclockwise). They were then collided at 12:58 p.m. European time. The 14 Tev needed to mimic the Big Bang is projected for 2013.

Excellent book although quite heavy in terminology but if you are patient and work your way through the difficult parts you are rewarded at the end of the book with an interesting view of the 2010 test and what is anticipated to be proven. Then the look ahead to the 2013 testing.