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Text 7. Hawking throws Higgs into black holes
Physicists searching for the Higgs boson, the hypothetical particle that is thought to give matter its mass, may be on a wild goose chase. At least, that is the view of Stephen Hawking, who believes that microscopic black holes could make the Higgs impossible to detect.
The Higgs boson is the main quarry of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the 1·5 billion particle accelerator that CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory near Geneva, hopes to have running by 2004. But in a paper submitted to the journal Physical Review D, the world’s best-known theoretical physicist argues that the LHC is unlikely to find the Higgs.
Hawking’s argument centres on the structure of the Universe at the Planck scale - that is, across tiny distances of only 10-35 metres. According to many theorists, this minuscule world is dominated by strange quantum effects that cause particles and tiny black holes to continually pop in and out of existence. If this view is right, then what appears to be a vacuum is actually a “space-time foam”, made from transient particles and black holes.
Theorists model the behaviour of the space-time foam by combining Einstein’s equations of general relativity with those of quantum mechanics. These equations can be solved in several ways, one of which predicts that the transient black holes will form into “wormholes”, each consisting of a pair of black holes joined by a tunnel through space-time. Hawking used to favour this model, but has now changed his mind.
The problem, in Hawking’s view, is the failure by theorists to explain the thermodynamics of wormholes. In 1974, Hawking showed that black holes are not completely black: they radiate energy. But nobody has been able to extend this theory to describe the thermodynamics of wormholes. To Hawking, this suggests that wormholes may not actually exist.
Hawking now believes that the tiny black holes in the space-time foam behave more like fundamental particles. When particles are created out of pure energy, they form in pairs: when an electron is formed, for example, a positron appears too. In his new paper, Hawking outlines an alternative solution of the equations describing the space-time foam that allows pairs of black holes to arise in much the same way, appearing as two discrete objects, rather than linked into a wormhole.
During their brief lifetime, these black holes will attract particles and scatter them back outwards. Quantum theory says it is possible to determine a particle’s position or its momentum, but never both. But according to Hawking’s calculations, the Higgs will lose its quantum coherence when it is scattered - in other words, it will be impossible to determine either its position or its momentum. Hawking admits it is difficult to say exactly what this means in physical terms, but he believes it will make the Higgs impossible to observe, if it is a fundamental particle. “I am fairly sure it can’t behave as an ordinary particle”, he says. One possibility, he adds, is that the Higgs boson is a composite particle, built from several subunits.
Other researchers are not yet sure what to make of Hawking’s latest theory. “It is wild and provocative”, says Malcolm MacCallum of Queen Mary and Westfield College in London. Theorists at CERN, meanwhile, remain unconvinced. “I don’t believe the argument”, says John Ellis of CERN’s theory division. The only way to be sure, however, will be to build the LHC and find out.
John Gribbin. New Scientist, 1995
Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises
I. Translate these into your own language:
• a hypothetical particle
• a wild goose chase
• microscopic black holes
• particle accelerator
• to hope to have running by 2004
• a theoretical physicist
• the structure of the Universe at the Planck scale
• to pop in and out of existence
• transient particles
• a pair of black holes joined by a tunnel through space-time
• to extend the theory
• in much the same way
• to scatter particles back outwards
• a composite particle
• to remain unconvinced
II. Give synonyms of the following words:
matter, fundamental, dominate, actually, a paper
III. Give the principal forms of the following verbs:
|
to think |
to cause |
to explain |
to form |
|
to give |
to make |
to show to |
describe |
|
to believe |
to model |
to radiate |
to link |
|
to submit |
to solve |
to exist |
to attract |
|
to argue |
to predict |
to behave |
to scatter |
IV. Give the situations from the text in which the following words and expressions are used:
• to give matter its mass
• particle accelerator
• a paper submitted to a journal
• to pop in and out of existence
• Einstein’s equations of general relativity
• thermodynamics of wormholes
• to radiate energy
• fundamental particles
• an electron
• discrete objects
• quantum theory
• a composite particle
• provocative theory
• to remain unconvinced
V. Translate these sentences into your own language paying attention to the Subjective Infinitive Construction.
• The Higgs boson is thought to give matter its mass.
• The world’s best-known theoretical physicist argues that the LHC is unlikely to find the Higgs.
• A vacuum appears to be a space-time foam.
VI. Ask questions to which the following statements might be the answer:
• Microscopic black holes could make the Higgs impossible to detect.
• Hawking’s argument centres on the structure of the Universe on the Planck scale.
• These equations can be solved in several ways.
• In 1974 Hawking showed that black holes are not completely black: they radiate energy.
• During their brief lifetime, these black holes will attract particles and scatter them back outwards.
• The Higgs will lose its quantum coherence when it is scattered.
• The Higgs can’t behave as an ordinary particle.
• Theorists at GERN remain unconvinced.
VII. Arrange the items of the plan in a logical order according to the text.
• Wild and provocative theory of Hawking.
• Modeling the behaviour of the space-time foam.
• The impossibility of the Higgs boson detecting.
• A “space-time” foam.
• The thermodynamics of wormholes.
• The tiny black holes and fundamental particles.
VIII. Agree or disagree with the following statements:
• Microscopic black holes help to detect the Higgs boson.
• The Large Hadron Collider, the 1·5 billion particle accelerator is likely to find the Higgs according to Mr. Hawking.
• Hawking’s argument centres on the structure of the Universe at the Planck scale.
• The behaviour of the space-time foam is modelled only with the help of Einstein’s equations of general relativity.
• Black holes are completely black.
6. Scientists extended Hawking’s theory to describe the thermodynamics of wormholes.
• Hawking shows that the black holes have nothing in common with fundamental particles.
• Other researchers favour Hawking’s latest theory.
IX. Answer the questions:
• What is Higgs boson?
• How could microscopic black holes influence the Higgs?
• Will the LHC help to find the Higgs according to Hawking?
• What does Hawking’s argument centre on?
• What causes particles and tiny black holes to pop in and out of existence?
• What is a “space-time foam” made from?
• In what way do theorists model the behaviour of the space-time foam?
• What model did Hawking use to favour?
• What did Hawking show in 1974?
• What suggests that wormholes may not actually exist?
• In what way do the black holes in the space-time foam behave?
• What will happen to the black holes during their brief lifetime?
• Will it be possible to determine the Higgs position or its momentum?
• What is the attitude of other researchers to Hawking’s theory?
X. Write a summary in English (or in your own language)
• Give each paragraph a suitable title in English (or in your own language).
• Develop the titles of the paragraphs into topic sentences. Join the topic sentences together.
• Re-read your summary and make sure that the sentences are presented in a logical order.