CERN Scientists Successfully Transform Lead into Gold in ALICE Experiment

 

CERN Scientists Successfully Transform Lead into Gold in ALICE Experiment

In a breakthrough reminiscent of ancient alchemists’ dreams, scientists at CERN’s ALICE experiment have observed the transformation of lead into gold during high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

This phenomenon occurs in near-miss interactions—ultra-close approaches between accelerated lead nuclei that do not result in a direct collision. Instead, intense electromagnetic fields generate enough energy to knock out protons in a process called electromagnetic dissociation.

Through this unique mechanism, three protons are removed from a lead nucleus, temporarily forming a gold nucleus. Although the transformation produces only minuscule amounts of gold—and only for a fraction of a second—the event was successfully measured using zero-degree detectors in the ALICE experiment, which track rare nuclear outcomes.

During Run 2 of the LHC, the total mass of gold produced was estimated at approximately 29 picograms. While this quantity is astronomically small, the achievement is significant. It confirms theoretical models of nuclear transmutation via electromagnetic interaction and deepens our understanding of beam loss processes in high-energy accelerators.

As Run 3 pushes the boundaries with increased luminosity, the results from ALICE highlight how modern particle physics continues to convert ancient myths into fleeting, yet measurable scientific reality.

Tags:

    • CERN lead to gold
    • ALICE experiment gold
    • nuclear transmutation CERN
    • lead turned into gold
    • Large Hadron Collider discoveries
    • electromagnetic dissociation
    • modern alchemy CERN
    • particle physics breakthroughs
    • gold creation in LHC
    • science news CERN

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