Astronomical-Level Particle Collision Experiment
The much-anticipated experiment finally began. The moment the Astronomical-Level Particle Collider was officially turned on, all eyes were on it, and countless scientists gathered on their respective Research Ship to watch the moment the collision began via video.
Yue Yuan also put aside his work and came to the Lyra Command Center to watch the first collision experiment via live broadcast on the big screen.
"Data connection to Tianhe Light is complete. Tianhe Light subsystem is ready. Preparations are underway for the first experiment of the astronomical super Particle Collider — the Neutron Collision Experiment!"
"The Integrated Particle Generator has completed its self-test. All components are operating normally and have completed their self-tests. It is ready."
"The neutrino guide probe is functioning normally, Deuteron Beam Generator is ready!"
"First acceleration module activated, normal operation feedback! Second acceleration module activated, normal operation feedback! 781st acceleration module activated, normal operation feedback. Impact zone equipment feedback signal arrived, signal normal, operation normal! Multi-segment laser correction completed, error ±0.03."
As announcements from staff rang out, everyone in the Operation Command Center located at the particle generator section of the astronomical particle accelerator sprang into action.
As an Astronomical-Level Particle Collider, it is naturally impossible for it to be a device completely controlled by Strong Artificial Intelligence. Strong Artificial Intelligence is also unable to handle all operations. Therefore, humans have set up an Operation Command Center at its head.
A very spacious Operation Command Center now filled with personnel who have undergone years of training and are familiar with operating Astronomical-Level Particle Collider. Some are sitting at their posts, while others are monitoring and operating the Particle Collider in real time through a human-computer Interactive System.
Because Astronomical-Level Particle Collider are so long, these staff members actually began preparing for the experiment a long time before it started.
Reports such as the feedback data from the terminal collision zone were from tests that had begun long ago. The test results were actually delivered quickly, but due to latency, it took more than a month to reach the Operation Command Center at the front.
There's no way around it; without real-time communication technology, it's just that inconvenient.
This Astronomical-Level Particle Collider is over six thousand Astronomical Unit long. This means that once the experiment begins and the ion beam is fired, even if the particles travel at near the speed of light towards the target area, it will still take thirty-eight days to arrive. Meanwhile, the humans in the Operation Command Center will need twice that time to receive the collision feedback data.
Of course, another group of Research Personnel could observe from the other end, but that would be meaningless, because the experimental results would still need to be analyzed by the experimental team at the Operation Command Center.
Information transmission is always faster than having the Research Team travel back and forth in a spacecraft.
"Particle beam generated, guide functioning normally. Particle beam has entered the acceleration system and is accelerating. System-calculated relative velocity is 97.98% of the speed of light, accelerating continuously."
"Acceleration System Temporary Velocity Measurement Module: Particle beam temporary velocity 98.99787% of the speed of light, estimated impact time 38 days 02 hours 56 minutes 23 seconds, estimated information feedback time..."
Inside the Lyra Command Center, watching the Astronomical-Level Particle Collider working steadily, and seeing Liu Miyan busy on the screen, he nodded slightly. In about two more months, they would see the results of the first collision experiment.
"What do you think this first collision experiment will produce?" Suddenly, Yue Yuan stood up from his seat and turned to look at Yu Nanfeng, who seemed to be lost in thought.
After the Astronomical-Level Particle Collider was completed, Yu Nanfeng had a rare period of leisure, so he came to the Lyra to wander around, seemingly to see his daughter. Today happened to be the day of the collision experiment, so he watched it with Yue Yuan at the Lyra Command Center.
"What will happen? Expecting results from just the first collision? That's wishful thinking. It'll probably just be a waste of time." Yu Nanfeng thought to himself as Yue Yuan asked this question, but he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he pretended to be thinking seriously and said, "According to the theoretical data, this collision has reached the 10 to the 15th power GeV electromagnetic voltage level. Theoretically, it has met the energy level requirements for the Grand Unified Theory. However, we still need to analyze the actual situation. I think it's very difficult to get the result we want on the first collision. The probability is too small."
Our collision experiments are like opening a blind box of the laws of the universe and nature. If you get it on the first try, that's incredibly lucky, but if you don't, that's normal too. It's a scientific experiment, after all, and I'm not unfamiliar with that.
Yue Yuan nodded. He was naturally familiar with this; it was trial and error. If you couldn't get it right, keep trying; if you got a wrong answer, keep trying until all errors were eliminated. There were no shortcuts. Of course, if the method was right, it could increase the success rate of trial and error, as seen in the experiments humans are currently conducting.
Without the foundation of Grand Unified Theory, humanity wouldn't have known that building Astronomical-Level Particle Collider was a potentially feasible solution, and thus wouldn't have narrowed down the scope of trial and error. Perhaps this can be considered a shortcut, but not a shortcut through cheat codes; it's a shortcut that humanity has created through its own efforts.
"I hope so!" Yue Yuan turned to look at the staff who were still busy checking various data feedbacks, and his excited heart gradually calmed down.
Frankly speaking, this kind of highly anticipated astronomical particle collision experiment only gets people excited for a short time at the beginning, and that's how the promotional videos are presented. After the particle beam is fired, many programs broadcasting related particle collision experiments switch the camera to the Operation Command Center, turning it into on-site interviews between reporters and some relevant officials.
There's nothing we can do about it. Unless we wait until after the collision is over and then use video editing and animation to create a short video of the entire collision experiment for the public to watch, scientific experiments just seem so boring and uninteresting.
After all, ordinary people won't just sit there waiting for feedback more than two months later. Or even if they did get the feedback, they wouldn't understand it. Scientists and relevant staff still need to analyze and summarize the various data feedbacks, draw conclusions, and then express them in language that people can understand. Only then can the public comprehend the information.
This process will take much longer than two months. Two months is the time it takes for the collision experiment to complete the collision and for the data to be fed back. Research Personnel also need to analyze and summarize the data, and it is unknown how long it will take to draw a conclusion.
So after the exciting initial phase, most ordinary people turned off the news channels and went about their own business. Only a few people who were very interested in scientific progress showed an eagerness to see even the smallest detail of the conversation, paying close attention to the subsequent interviews with scientists.