Gold Fever Revisited: Physicists Make Alchemists' Dream a Reality (...Almost)
Scientists Transform Lead into Au (Gold)
In a stunning partnership of science and myth, the age-old dream of the alchemists—turning lead into gold—has come tantalizingly close to reality. But fair warning: don't start hoarding minerals just yet.
Buried beneath the rolling hills of Geneva lies the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a colossal particle accelerator that's the pride and joy of CERN, the European nuclear research behemoth. And it's here, deep within the LHC's subterranean lair, where our modern-day alchemists maneuver lead ions into a dance of cosmic proportions that just might leave you speechless.
The Alchemist's Dance
The transformation begins with the lead ions being supercharged and thrust into the 27-kilometer-long barrel of the LHC on a collision course. In a dance best described as a ballet of destruction, the lead ions fly past each other at an eyewink-quick speed, their electromagnetic fields flaring with untamed energy.
The passion of these electromagnetic fields is so intense that they can transform the inner structure of the lead nuclei, causing a shimmy of subatomic particles that results in the firing of stray neutrons and protons. In the most exquisite and elusive of seductions, three protons are removed from a lead nucleus, lowering its atomic number to match that of gold.
However, don't get too excited. The resulting gold particles only last for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, so short-lived they can hardly be called a fling. And the quantities produced are infinitesimal—CERN estimates the creation of about 29 picograms of gold, enough to fill just five to seven grains of coarse sand. Put another way, you'd be better off striking it rich in an actual gold mine rather than relying on this procedure to finance your next exotic vacation.
The Philosopher's Stone, Reimagined
To those who still pine for the legendary gold treasure of the alchemists, CERN remains as frustratingly distant as ever. This isn't the opulent wealth the ancient dreamers sought, nor does it even approach practicality. But it does represent an intriguing step forward in understanding the messy, fiery dance of subatomic particles and the one-of-a-kind phenomena that can arise under extreme conditions[1][2].
In a strange confluence of science and legend, the quest for gold has reached new heights. Once the stuff of mystical lore and wild-eyed dreams, the transformation of lead into gold now exists in the hallowed halls of established, mainstream science. And while the dream of alchemical wealth remains, for now, just a tantalizing pipe dream, the quest for knowledge endures. It's a testament to the boundless human spirit and our seemingly insatiable desire to push the boundaries of what's possible.
Resources
- The Standard Model explanation of nuclear fusion in lead nuclei
- ALICE experiment: A journey from lead to gold
- The dance of lead ions within the Large Hadron Collider’s subterranean lair might remind one of medieval alchemists, with the proud particles swirling in a ballet of destruction.
- Despite the lead ions transforming into gold at an atomic level, the resulting particles are so fleeting that they can't be classified as lasting even long enough for a romance.
- The quantities of gold produced during this scientific experiment are insignificant, with CERN estimating only a few picograms, a mere grain of sand's worth.
- Modern-day alchemists may find solace in the fact that the transformation of lead into gold has been accomplished through science, even if the dream of alchemical wealth still eludes them.
){kind=link}