Metro53 - Paris (Web Desk): For centuries, alchemists dreamed of turning lead into gold. While modern chemistry has long dismissed such possibilities, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland have accidentally achieved a form of it—albeit in extremely tiny amounts.
Researchers working on the ALICE experiment, which aims to recreate conditions just after the Big Bang, were smashing lead nuclei at nearly the speed of light. During these high-speed collisions, small numbers of protons were stripped from lead atoms, occasionally converting them into gold.
The amounts are minuscule: only around 29 trillionths of a gram. But the experiment demonstrates a fundamental principle of nuclear physics: by removing exactly three protons from a lead nucleus, a gold atom is formed. Similarly, removing one or two protons can produce thallium and mercury, respectively.
Protons, which are positively charged, are normally bound tightly in the nucleus by the strong nuclear force. Only an extremely powerful electric field—millions of times stronger than natural lightning—is capable of dislodging them. In the ALICE experiment, these conditions arise when lead nuclei pass extremely close to one another, generating intense electromagnetic fields.
The gold nuclei themselves cannot be observed directly. Instead, scientists detect the stripped protons using zero-degree calorimeters, allowing them to infer the production of gold. Calculations suggest that about 89,000 gold nuclei are formed per second during these collisions.
While the creation of gold sounds miraculous, for scientists it is more of a challenge than a benefit. Once altered, these nuclei no longer follow stable paths in the collider and quickly collide with the walls, reducing beam intensity.
Professor Ulrik Egede of Monash University, who contributed to the research, notes that understanding these “accidental alchemy” processes is crucial for interpreting current experiments and designing future, larger-scale studies.
The experiment provides a remarkable demonstration of nuclear physics in action—showing that, under extreme conditions, some of the age-old dreams of alchemy are theoretically possible, even if not commercially viable.
