Large Hadron Collider – Live!

[DaveB]

I did like this comment from the live feed.

10.26am: Gregmcdougall asks: "What would the effect on living tissue (other than the assumed cold) of these high-energy beams be?"
A good question.
In the mid-70s, a Russian physicist called Anatoli Bugorski was checking a faulty accelerator when the proton beam came on and hit his head. He says he saw a bright flash "brighter than a thousand suns".
His face swelled up and skin started falling off. He lost some hearing but otherwise his brain remained in quite decent shape. He could still function, but got tired quickly. It was a crazy accident to have happened.

So theres the answer to the question "Whatt happens if I stick my head there?"

[Mich the Tester]

7 TeV = about 1.12 × 10-6 joules of energy.

My morning poo weighs approx 200g, and will be moving at about 2m/s when it hits the water (based on my dispensing appuratus being approx 20cm from the surface of the water). This gives it a kinetic energy of 0.4 joules, which is about 36000 times as much as a collision in the LHC.

I think we are going to be OK.

Rather a puny little ladypoo if I may say so.

[doodab]

Rather a puny little ladypoo if I may say so.

I read somewhere that the average human bowel movement weights about half a pound. I rounded down to make the maths easier.

[Mich the Tester]

I read somewhere that the average human bowel movement weights about half a pound. I rounded down to make the maths easier.

An obvious lack of ambition here.

[DaveB]

I did like this comment from the live feed.

So theres the answer to the question "Whatt happens if I stick my head there?"

As a researcher at the Institute for High Energy Physics in Protvino, Bugorski used to work with the largest Soviet particle accelerator, the Synchrotron U-70.[2] On July 13, 1978, Bugorski was checking a malfunctioning piece of equipment when an accident occurred due to failed safety mechanisms. Bugorski was leaning over the piece of equipment when he stuck his head in the part through which the proton beam was running. Reportedly, he saw a flash "brighter than a thousand suns", but did not feel any pain. The beam measured about 200,000 rads when it entered Bugorski's skull, and about 300,000 rads when it exited after colliding with the inside of his head.

The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition, and over the next several days started peeling off, showing the path that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that about 500 to 600 rads is enough to kill a person, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived and even completed his Ph.D..[3] There was virtually no damage to his intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased markedly.[2] Bugroski completely lost hearing in the left ear and only a constant, unpleasant internal noise remained. The left half of his face was frozen, due to the destruction of nerves, and does not age.[1] He is able to function perfectly well, save the fact that he has occasional petit mal seizures and very occasional grand mal seizures.

[gingerjedi]

I read somewhere that the average human bowel movement weights about half a pound. I rounded down to make the maths easier.

You've clearly never had a barium meal.

[chef]

I did like this comment from the live feed.



So theres the answer to the question "Whatt happens if I stick my head there?"

it seems that it is true

EDIT: I know quoting Wikipedia doesn't necessarily mean it's true, however, the WIkipedia article does reference various quotes and sources

[doodab]

An obvious lack of ambition here.

You think I should ask CERN for a job?

[Mich the Tester]

As a researcher at the Institute for High Energy Physics in Protvino, Bugorski used to work with the largest Soviet particle accelerator, the Synchrotron U-70.[2] On July 13, 1978, Bugorski was checking a malfunctioning piece of equipment when an accident occurred due to failed safety mechanisms. Bugorski was leaning over the piece of equipment when he stuck his head in the part through which the proton beam was running. Reportedly, he saw a flash "brighter than a thousand suns", but did not feel any pain. The beam measured about 200,000 rads when it entered Bugorski's skull, and about 300,000 rads when it exited after colliding with the inside of his head.

The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition, and over the next several days started peeling off, showing the path that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that about 500 to 600 rads is enough to kill a person, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived and even completed his Ph.D..[3] There was virtually no damage to his intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased markedly.[2] Bugroski completely lost hearing in the left ear and only a constant, unpleasant internal noise remained. The left half of his face was frozen, due to the destruction of nerves, and does not age.[1] He is able to function perfectly well, save the fact that he has occasional petit mal seizures and very occasional grand mal seizures.

What did his wife say when he got home? Oh Anatoli, what have you been up to now? Can’t you just be a bus driver or something like that?

[expat]

...
The left half of Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition, and over the next several days started peeling off, showing the path that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that about 500 to 600 rads is enough to kill a person, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived and even completed his Ph.D. and went on to work for CERN in Switzerland..

FTFY