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WTF!! EU building a laser to puncture spacetime?!?

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jojobean
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31 Dec 2011, 12:57 am

Gotta check this out!!

http://news.discovery.com/space/a-laser ... 11102.html

I could not really understand the purpose of this even though they stated it. Something about particles and making them "real"

Jojo


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marineaspiejohn
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31 Dec 2011, 1:13 am

well hopefully a half-life situation doesnt happen..



Apple_in_my_Eye
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31 Dec 2011, 2:12 am

Cool! Though, in sci-fi ripping holes in space-time is never a good thing...

I hope someone who understands what they're doing with this laser experiment can explain the article. I have a little bit of background but I can't figure out what they're talking about. I don't get why a laser would effect vacuum virtual particle creation.



jojobean
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31 Dec 2011, 8:51 pm

marineaspiejohn wrote:
well hopefully a half-life situation doesnt happen..



like particle zombies??


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01 Jan 2012, 2:02 am

marineaspiejohn wrote:
well hopefully a half-life situation doesnt happen..


(warning, audio messed up on this video, turn your volume WAY down)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_9CiH5WNUU[/youtube]


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01 Jan 2012, 2:35 am

I read about this several months ago. I know it's a serious project with legit intentions.....

........still, every time I think of it, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's the work of Dr. Evil!

Image


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01 Jan 2012, 2:14 pm

We need to develop this technology because a nuclear powered starship needs to be refueled on its journey to the stars.



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01 Jan 2012, 2:31 pm

John_Browning wrote:
I read about this several months ago. I know it's a serious project with legit intentions.....

........still, every time I think of it, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's the work of Dr. Evil!

Image
LMAO!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !



jojobean
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01 Jan 2012, 7:28 pm

AceOfSpades wrote:
John_Browning wrote:
I read about this several months ago. I know it's a serious project with legit intentions.....

........still, every time I think of it, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's the work of Dr. Evil!

Image
LMAO!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !


dito!!
remember the sharks with laser beams attached to their heads??


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01 Jan 2012, 8:04 pm

Any news story that originates with the Discovery Channel is likely to be loaded with distorted facts, exaggeration, half-truths, hyperbole, and sensationalism. DC has become the "National Enquirer" of the scientific community.



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01 Jan 2012, 10:48 pm

Fnord wrote:
Any news story that originates with the Discovery Channel is likely to be loaded with distorted facts, exaggeration, half-truths, hyperbole, and sensationalism. DC has become the "National Enquirer" of the scientific community.

It's not just a discovery channel article. I've seen it elsewhere. It's legit!


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02 Jan 2012, 1:13 am

John_Browning wrote:
Fnord wrote:
Any news story that originates with the Discovery Channel is likely to be loaded with distorted facts, exaggeration, half-truths, hyperbole, and sensationalism. DC has become the "National Enquirer" of the scientific community.
It's not just a discovery channel article. I've seen it elsewhere. It's legit!

The article is likely being quoted by other media outlets.

The accelerator and its lasers can no more rip a hole in space-time than can solar flares, which are many orders of magnitude more powerful on a continuing basis than any pulse laser.



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02 Jan 2012, 4:49 am

Thats Europe for you, discover a New World, and declare War, Then make them buy European goods at Laser point, Then kill them and take their land.

By the way, Europe is broker than we are.

Made in Bulgaria? Romania? I see, they went all the way to the top, Buy Eastern European votes.

Space is safe.



johansen
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02 Jan 2012, 4:55 am

John_Browning wrote:
Fnord wrote:
Any news story that originates with the Discovery Channel is likely to be loaded with distorted facts, exaggeration, half-truths, hyperbole, and sensationalism. DC has become the "National Enquirer" of the scientific community.

It's not just a discovery channel article. I've seen it elsewhere. It's legit!


gawd.

I'd rather read about it on arXiv any day.



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02 Jan 2012, 8:23 am

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
I hope someone who understands what they're doing with this laser experiment can explain the article.

The idea appears to be to create a sufficiently large energy difference in a sufficiently small area (articlespeak: "rip a hole in spacetime") that when two virtual particles form (as they do all the time, everywhere), one finds itself able to stick around (articlespeak: "ghost becomes real.")


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02 Jan 2012, 8:39 am

Sounds like something out of Buckaroo Banzai.