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Turning lead into gold is no longer a fantasy: scientists have managed to observe the real phenomenon at the LHC, revealing secrets of ultra-high-energy nuclear physics
For centuries, turning lead into gold was an impossible dream. Now, in the world’s largest physics laboratory, it has become a reality — if only for a moment. A group of physicists have managed to observe this phenomenon at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located on the border between France and Switzerland. For the first time, it has been possible to directly measure the formation of gold atoms in a laboratory.
Lead, light and collisions at nearly 100% the speed of light
The experiment involved lead ions accelerated to more than 99,999993% of the speed of light. These ions collided in the LHC's underground ring, which is 27 kilometers long.
Some collisions were head-on, creating tiny fireballs. Others occurred more subtly, without direct contact but with an intense exchange of energy. These are called ultraperipheral collisions.
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During these indirect collisions, the electromagnetic fields became so strong that they emitted short bursts of photons, the particles of light.
These photons had enough energy to knock protons and neutrons out of the lead atomic nuclei. The result: the original nucleus was transformed into another chemical element.
Turning lead into gold
Lead has 82 protons. When it loses three, it turns into gold, which has 79. The name of this process is electromagnetic dissociation. By changing the number of protons, the chemical element changes. This is not a magic trick. It is nuclear physics.
This transmutation lasted only a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to be recorded. Scientists directly observed the formation of gold atoms — something that had never been measured accurately before.
The amount of gold generated was surprising, but impossible to take advantage of
During the so-called Run 2 of the LHC, between 2015 and 2018, the collisions generated about 89.000 gold atoms per second. That's one new atom every 11 microseconds. In the next phase, called Run 3, the production doubled: approximately 178.000 atoms per second.
Still, this amount is insignificant. A single gram of gold contains more than 3.000 billion billion atoms. And the atoms created at the LHC disappeared almost immediately, destroyed by the experiment's own high-energy environment.
Furthermore, the cost of generating these atoms far exceeds the market price of gold. In other words, no one is going to open a jewelry store with what was produced there.
The value is in knowledge, not in metal
The importance of the experiment lies in understanding the physical processes that occur in particle collisions. Understanding how nuclei lose protons helps engineers improve control of the beams in the accelerator, avoiding failures and optimizing new tests.
In addition to gold, other elements were also formed. When lead lost just one proton, it became thallium (with 81 protons). Losing two, it became mercury (with 80). These elements appeared in even greater quantities.
How was it possible to detect gold atoms
The detection of the new atoms was carried out by the ALICE experiment (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), which specializes in studying subatomic particles generated in collisions. It uses detectors called Zero Degree Calorimeters (ZDCs), installed far from the central point of the collisions.
These sensors record rare events in which one, two or three protons are ejected from a lead nucleus. This makes it possible to identify the formation of thallium, mercury and gold, respectively.
The great achievement of the study was not only the creation of gold, but the detailed measurement of this process. The team managed to capture the signs of extremely rare transformations, amid trillions of collisions with particles flying in all directions.
Alchemy became science
In the past, it was believed that the Philosopher's Stone could transform base metals into gold. Today, this transformation is carried out in the most modern laboratory on the planet — not out of ambition, but out of scientific curiosity.
Alchemists sought answers in formulas and mixtures. Today's physicists use data, particles, and extreme energy. The result is the same ancient dream, achieved with the tools of modern science.
These gold atoms created at the LHC may never be used as currency. But what they do offer is a deeper understanding of the forces that hold matter together. Alchemy is not dead — it has simply transformed.
With information from ZME Science.
