The alchemists have tried for centuries, and now we have confirmation that these are not just fantasies: al CERN They actually managed to transform lead into gold. All thanks to physics. Apparently the incredible result was achieved thanks to an experiment conducted with the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) accelerator. Starting from the nuclei of lead The researchers managed to obtain atoms of gold.
Well, the transmutation It is possible. Scientists made use of an instrument called “Alice”. It is a detector installed along the famous particle accelerator 27 kilometers long. The discovery was published on Physical Review Journals.
As they explain on the CERN website, for many centuries it was believed that lead could change in gold because the two metals have a similar density; In reality, the two are different chemical elements, therefore it is not possible to carry out a transmutation through the same chemistry. Different speech when the field enters the field nuclear physicswhich made it possible to discover that the heavy elements could be transformed into others through radioactive decay, or under bombing of neutrons or protons.
Alice It allows you to use a new mechanism. The collisions between lead nuclei to the LHC can create tree and gluon plasma, originating the dark matter. When the nuclei touch the electromagnetic fields, they produce photon-photon and photon-nucleus interactions that can lead to unimaginable results. 82 protons are contained in a lead nucleus. Within theLHC The lines of the magnetic field are compressed, producing a rapid impulse of photons. What is called “electromagnetic dissociation” is triggered, which leads to the expulsion of a small number of neutrons and protons. In essence, if 3 protons are removed, the lead nucleus contains 79 protons, and becomes gold.
“It is impressive to see how our detectors are able to manage frontal collisions that produce thousands of particles, despite being also sensitive to collisions in which only a few particles at a time are produced, allowing the study of the processes of ‘electromagnetic’ nuclear ‘transmutation”said Marco Van Leeuwen, Alice spokesman.
During Run 2 of the LHC, which took place from 2015 to 2018, approximately were produced 86 billion gold nuclei. In terms of mass, however, these are 29 picograms, that is, a submultipal of the gram. In short, a very small amount that certainly will not make anyone rich.
In addition, it seems that the gold atoms have short duration: immediately after being produced they end up clashing with other particles, disintegrating themselves.
In short, the way is open, but to realize the dreams of wealth of alchemists It may still want us a little.