The “God’s Particle” and the End of the Universe
It’s the end of the world as Stephen Hawking knows it, or quite possibly the universe, period. In the preface to a new book, Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space
Hawking’s collection of lectures by noteworthy astronomers and researchers, the theoretical physicist points to the Higgs boson — infamously known as the “God’s particle” — to be the cause for the universe’s eventual destruction. But how likely is that really? After all, thermodynamics also considers it possible — although improbable — for a lake to freeze in a hot summer day.
Hawking notes that the particle “has the worrisome feature that it might become metastable at energies above 100bn gigaelectronvolts (GeV).” Now, though, don’t start wearing sandwich boards that say: “The end is nigh.” Not yet, at least.
The Higgs boson, discovered by physicists during experiments within CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, is a vital ingredient to explaining why things in our world have mass, and how much of it. (Don’t use this information for your diet, though.)
What exactly a theorized Higgs instability might cause? Hawking explained: “This could mean that the universe could undergo catastrophic vacuum decay, with a bubble of the true vacuum expanding at the speed of light. This could happen at any time and we wouldn’t see it coming.”
Now, CERN is not a threat (as some considered it in the past worrying for the creation of a black hole that would swallow the Earth and more.) With our knowledge and technology, a particle accelerator to reach 100bn GeV would need to be larger than Earth. CERN struggles to ensure Member States fund current research, and it is unlikely it will be funded to reach 100bn GeV in the present economic scenario. 
In short, Hawking’s fears, although theoretically valid, have the same likelihood of actually seeing, from the Mediterranean shores of Sicily, icebergs drifting by in all their majesty next summer.
Still, one wonders about Hawking’s relationship with the Higgs Boson. First, there’s the fact that he lost a $100 bet over its unearthing. Then he mused last year that now that the Higgs Boson had been identified, physics has become less interesting.
While the entire situation is unlikely to happen, Hawking has a more probable future in mind: “I don’t think we will survive another thousand years without escaping beyond our fragile planet. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space,” he said.
I concur.
Massimo Marino has a scientific background: He spent years at CERN and The Lawrence Berkeley Lab followed by lead positions with Apple, Inc. and the World Economic Forum. He is also co-founder of “Squares on Blue”, a Big Data Analytics service company.
Massimo currently lives in France and crosses the border with Switzerland multiple times daily, although he is no smuggler.
As a Scientist, he envisions Science Fiction and went from smashing particles at accelerators at SLAC and CERN to smashing words on a computer screen.
He’s the author of multi-awarded Daimones Trilogy. 
• 2012 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction
• 2013 Hall of Fame – Best in Science Fiction, Quality Reads UK Book Club
• 2013 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction Series
• 2014 Finalist – Science Fiction – Indie Excellence Awards L.A.
• 2014 Award Winner – Science Fiction Honorable Mention – Readers’ Favorite Annual Awards
His novels are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Nook), iTunes Apple Store, and many other retailers around the world.
Join his mailing list for new releases, or follow him on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.
The post The “God’s Particle” and the End of the Universe appeared first on § Author Massimo Marino.
