Third Collisions

CERN launched its alumni program seven years ago. It is a constant coming and going; some visit the European Center for Particle Physics as guests for just a few weeks, and others, like Red Baron, spend 32 years of their lives there on the western outskirts of Geneva. We all carry the CERN spirit into the world, so it is natural to meet occasionally and exchange experiences and views.

Possibly, no one will remember my blog about the first alumni meeting, "First Collisions," at CERN in 2018.

The "Second Collisions" took place online in the fall of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the fourth wave of infection that swept through Germany.

Red Baron attended the "Third Collisions" at CERN from February 9 to 11, 2024.

Rachel Bray, the head of the CERN Alumni Network, opened the meeting at the Science Gateway, the new premises.

CERN's Director General Fabiola Gianotti, still the same, greeted the primarily young participants. Red Baron would not exclude that he was the oldest alumni present. I didn't meet any of my former colleagues and felt somewhat lost.

CERN took about 800 photos of the young participants, i.e., Red Baron was on only two.
Detect the lonely old white-haired man in the third row of the Science Gateway auditorium (©CERN).

Here is another lecture hall with me in the front, my white head sticking out

The excellent scientific contributions presented during the meeting mitigated my dark sentiments. I shall pick some highlights and things that impressed me.

Professor Patrick Glauner from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology spoke about "The AI Revolution: Recent Developments, Opportunities, and Best Practices." He allayed his listeners' fears of AI, a technique that has long since found its way into everyday life. Legislators are currently struggling with regulations to limit possible excesses. Without knowing where the development of AI will eventually lead, this task is not easy.

In David Townsend's lecture "Medical Imaging Revolutionizing Healthcare," Red Baron saw a photo of Professor Alfred Donath, who for many years was the Geneva cantonal representative for radiation protection and also the responsible supervisor for CERN. I have fond memories of him. R.I.P.

In his lecture "Physics, Facts and Frontiers of Climate Change Science," Jonathan Gregory once again presented the Standard Model to his audience. He showed a photomontage of the FCC, the future planned proton collider in the Geneva area.

Then Jonathan stuck to his topic and showed that "it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the climate," emitting CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Future rise of CO₂ concentrations following various assumptions

He also pointed out that carbon dioxide in a concentration of over 1000 ppm is toxic to humans and animals.

For him, as a scientist, it is vital to reduce the uncertainties of the various models

A rise in sea level of 25 cm by 2100 is manageable for the Dutch. For Bangladesh, however, such a rise would be catastrophic.

Each session was preceded by detailed safety instructions. Strangely enough, was the radiation warning sign mutilated accidentally or intentionally?

I passed the illuminated CERN globe on my way to the conference dinner. 

An alphorn trio greeted the participants at the entrance to the restaurant.

Valerie Domcke of CERN led us through "The Early Universe as a Particle Physics Laboratory." 

After the Big Bang, the universe cooled down to such an extent that it became "transparent."  However, there are slight variations in temperature on the micro-Kelvin scale.

This allowed the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to be used to explore the universe.

We now know that the universe comprises 4.9% Ordinary Matter, 26.8% Dark Matter, and 68,3% Dark Energy.

Analyzing gravitational waves may help us better understand the universe. Red Bareon remembers that during his time at CERN, all efforts failed to detect GWs. In the meantime, detectors have become more sensitive.

"The discovery of the CMB revolutionized our understanding of the universe. What surprises do gravitational waves have for us?"

In the session on Aviation & Space, "Beyond the Collider: CERN Alumni Soaring in Aviation and Space," two contributions did not quite fit the title but were enjoyable. 

Thomas Rognmo of Nordic Electrofuel AS presented a plant for producing green fuel that already operates in Norway. The electricity exporter in Europe's north can carry out such experiments, even if their product cannot be made at the cost of fossil fuels and will probably not be competitive in the future.

Hannah Rana of Harvard University showed the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) plans. Everyone has seen the glowing photon ring of a black hole in the press. The BHEX placed deep in space will, they hope, lead to a sharper image.

For how long still?

Thank you, Pasquale

In the end, there was a photo of Red Baron. An Italian colleague sent me a selfie he took while I was leaving the meeting on my way home.

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