First collisions at the LHC with unprecedented Energy! (Ask a particle physisicist)

[Edwardo Piet]

At least they didn't lose their bosom.

[GrandizerII]

They lost their boson...

So..I'm thinking...bad?

Yes, it means that any one of us could disappear into nonexistence at any moment, even the next second, if we're one of the extremely unlucky ones in this cosmos.

[account_inactive]

So..I'm thinking...bad?

Yes, it means that any one of us could disappear into nonexistence at any moment, even the next second, if we're one of the extremely unlucky ones in this cosmos.

That's actually interesting.

I really have to educate myself on this stuff.

[Alex K]

Okay, I don't understand any of this.

Is that a bad thing?

The lower the line goes in the graph, the less does the measured data fit with the known particles. The old measurement with the blue line goes down far at one point (750) and that marks a deviation from what can be explained by the known particles, and so people suspected that a new particle might be there. The new measurement of the same thing (red line) stays near the top, and so no unusual signal was seen and everything is compatible with the standard theory. Now everyone is convinced the deviation shown by the blue line was just a rare random fluctuation and that there's no new particle
That's bad for science because a new particle there would have revolutionized our understanding of fundamental physics...

[GrandizerII]

Yes, it means that any one of us could disappear into nonexistence at any moment, even the next second, if we're one of the extremely unlucky ones in this cosmos.

That's actually interesting.

I really have to educate myself on this stuff.

I was joking. Sorry.

[account_inactive]

That's actually interesting.

I really have to educate myself on this stuff.

I was joking. Sorry.

Ah well, no sweat. Alex explained it.

I feel a tad silly now, but I had to laugh at myself after that.

[account_inactive]

---

Okay, I don't understand any of this.

Is that a bad thing?

The lower the line goes in the graph, the less does the measured data fit with the known particles. The old measurement with the blue line goes down far at one point (750) and that marks a deviation from what can be explained by the known particles, and so people suspected that a new particle might be there. The new measurement of the same thing (red line) stays near the top, and so no unusual signal was seen and everything is compatible with the standard theory. Now everyone is convinced the deviation shown by the blue line was just a rare random fluctuation and that there's no new particle
That's bad for science because a new particle there would have revolutionized our understanding of fundamental physics...

---

I'm an idiot and didn't understand a word of that.

So, should we panic?

[Alex K]

Yes. Haha, no

let's take it step by step.

[TheRealJoeFish]

---

The lower the line goes in the graph, the less does the measured data fit with the known particles. The old measurement with the blue line goes down far at one point (750) and that marks a deviation from what can be explained by the known particles, and so people suspected that a new particle might be there. The new measurement of the same thing (red line) stays near the top, and so no unusual signal was seen and everything is compatible with the standard theory. Now everyone is convinced the deviation shown by the blue line was just a rare random fluctuation and that there's no new particle
That's bad for science because a new particle there would have revolutionized our understanding of fundamental physics...

---

I'm an idiot and didn't understand a word of that.

So, should we panic?

No, the opposite: we should be bored that probably nothing new happened.  It was the physics equivalent of walking down the street and seeing a shiny coin on the ground but when you go to pick it up you realize it was just a bottle cap.

[account_inactive]

I'm an idiot and didn't understand a word of that.

So, should we panic?

No, the opposite: we should be bored that probably nothing new happened.  It was the physics equivalent of walking down the street and seeing a shiny coin on the ground but when you go to pick it up you realize it was just a bottle cap.

Well, that sucks.

Get back to work and find us some more of that fancy physics stuff!