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Hi, I recieved this today from a very helpful geezer indeed!
quote:
Hi there SadGeezer,I was reading your review of season 4 episode 1 and came across:
“…unintentionally collapsed into a pea shaped object by scientists trying to determine the mass of the ‘hixbozen particle’ (no idea what that is – anyone heard of it or is it another little PD joke?).”
Yea, I’ve heard of it. I’m a Lexx fan, a SadGeezer fan, and by total coincidence having nothing to do with the symmetry of
the universe, a PhD in high energy particle physics. I was so taken with the new Lexx season introducing the search for the mass of the Higgs that I made a web page that included a little bit of serious talk about what the Higgs is, amongst my general revelry over seeing some more Lexx:
http://home1.gte.net/res04m7h/lilplanet.html
Hope this helps you out some on that Higgs stuff, it’s a supposedly real thing that particle physicists are driven to hunt for the mass of, but I think it can’t really reduce the Earth to the size of a pea to my
understanding of the meaning of life..
However, there have been people worried about other weird things in new particle experiments as we go to higher energy accelerators, but the fact that even higher energies exist in some cosmic rays is
cited as astronomical evidence that we won’t destroy the universe with particle physics. But I guess if it was some unexpected local
space-time perturbation caused by some weird particle phenomenon, who’s to say… (:-)Calvin Shipbaugh
Thanks Calvin! Yer a diamond!
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SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1)
Naaa, you missed a comma
Excellent page!
Yer not only a sci fi sadgeezer, but a science fact sadgeezer too!
erm… your majesty 🙂
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So are Higgs-Bozen particles dark matter? As I understand it, dark matter is a bunch of particles that have mass but do not give off light and are almost impossible to detect. Dark particles outnumber light particles 9 to 1 and are what’s holding our galaxy together.
Scientists have apparently spent years trying to discover exactly what dark particles are, and when Professor Longborne (the Divine Shadow/Stephen Hawking guy in Texx Lexx) said scientists were trying to discover the mass of a mysterious particle, I figured he was talking about dark matter.
So does anyone know if this Higgs thing that apparently really exists has anything to do with dark matter? Is this a stupid question?
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Lee P. Sherman, code name DalekTek790
Whovian, Froudian, Lexxian, etc.Not a stupid question.
Particles are the fundamental units of matter and energy. A boson is a particle, and the Higgs boson is the fundamental unit of mass.
The whole theory is very confusing, but it’s part of an attempt to create one big theory that will explain everything in physics. Which includes dark matter, but I don’t think Higgs and dark matter are directly related.
Coming of Age in the Milky Way by Timothy Ferris explains all this in more detail.
Here’s a really nice site in the UK (cambridge) about cosmology:
http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/%5B/url%5DThere are some nice pictures and it is aimed at non-specialists. Since it’s string-theory oriented, there is not much talk of particles, but there are still nice descriptions of current thinking in the field. (there is a section on dark matter for DT790, but i am afraid there is not much explaination there!)
[This message has been edited by lizard (edited August 01, 2001).]
I think I need to find the “for dummies” version!
I mean, I understand some astrophysics, like black holes and basic quantum mechanics, but that site was like some sort of crazy Moon-language to me. 
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Lee P. Sherman, code name DalekTek790
Whovian, Froudian, Lexxian, etc.
quote:
Originally posted by DalekTek790:
I think I need to find the “for dummies” version! I mean, I understand some astrophysics, like black holes and basic quantum mechanics, but that site was like some sort of crazy Moon-language to me.
Well the pictures are good, and if you understand basic quantum mech. then you are ahead of me. Unfortunately, I think it would take a spare 8 years of your (or anyone’s) life studying at an institute to really get a grasp!
Mee too!
Erm, to all of the above… sort of.
To be honest, after watching the second episode i was really worried that Higgs Bosen was just a joke (and a pretty dumb one at that). I’m pleased as punch that it’s something tangible (even if we don’t quite know how tangible it is 🙂
Even better that we have such well informed sadgeezers in our community.
FX in away right now, but I’m sure she’s be rivited by the discussion.
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Speak o’the devil. The very cool Jason just sent me this:
quote:
> The particle that was mentioned in “Little Blue Planet” is actually the
> Higgs Boson particle. I know I thought it was Exposen particle, probably
> as in exposing the universes secrets. But any way the Higgs Boson is
> very real and current, I wonder how 790 was aware of Mr. Higgs a 60’s
> Scottish researcher.
>
> -Jason
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OH MY GAWD! All this time I thought that Lexx fans only had one thing on their minds! But now, WOW! I read about higgsbozen particles months ago and now people on the Lexx site are talking about it! COOL!
My understanding of it is, it is the binding substance to the universe that holds our atoms together to make up what we perseve as life the universe and everything.
I will check out the sites on the mess. but I’m more of the “dummies” set so I may not get it.
Keep banging the rocks together!——————
MonkeyAs I understand the Higgs Boson is the particle that is supposed to explain why matter is what it is. In other words the basic building block of the universe. Hehe
-SM
Well, this is rather exciting for me, I dont think there is any other non-math/physics group where the special unitary group (SU(3)) would have come up! But really, I don’t believe in particles anymore..I throw my lot in with the aforementioned M-brane/String folks.
quote:
Originally posted by lizard:
Well, this is rather exciting for me, I dont think there is any other non-math/physics group where the special unitary group (SU(3)) would have come up! But really, I don’t believe in particles anymore..I throw my lot in with the aforementioned M-brane/String folks.
hi guys, what an awesome thread! well, it has been several years since any hard science for me, but as i recall i favored the string camp as well, not that my understanding was nearly profound enough to posit a cogent argument for either…anyway, i will be checking out all the gorgeous sites mentioned here while i wait for my furniture to arrive
thank you all for coming, and welcome to all of you new folks, please keep us honest and keep coming back, love fxHey great, not only are you all Sci-fi fans, you know a bit about science fact, which is excellent, coz now I can bash you all over the heads with some really cool science stuff (HeHE).
I’ve been checking out Nasa’s proposals for a non-chemical or liquid solution to space travel.
Most of it is based around Solar sails, but the main push is for ion engines and warp capability, and some clever chap has theoretically proved that warp travel is possible using the zero energy concept as a power source.
So it would seem the theory is there, now all we have to do is build the bloody thing.
But there’s one snag, if zero energy is not possible then it would fall to a matter/antimatter reactor (I know it sounds Star Trek…but it’s completely true), only there is one machine in the world that can generate anti-matter, and that machine doesn’t even scratch the surface for the amount of anti-matter that is required for a warp vessel.
I have a paper on it by the Doc who formulated the theory if anyone would like it.
Squishy——————
SquishySquish-I’d like to see a copy of that paper.
quote:
Originally posted by Hypatia:
Squish-I’d like to see a copy of that paper.
Hypatia, I’ve sent you the paper via e-mail, I hope you enjoy it, my e-mail is a bit dodgy sometimes, so could you let me know if you got it on this board.
Thanx,
Squishy——————
SquishyThanx Squish, I got it.
Very interesting.
quote:
Originally posted by Squish:
I have a paper on it by the Doc who formulated the theory if anyone would like it.
Squishy
Me too, please?
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– Aurora
quote:
Originally posted by aurora:
Me too, please?
Aurora, could you put your e-mail address on the board, so I can send you the paper.
Thanx,
Squishy——————
SquishyIt means, Slop does not know how to properly insert pictures into his post?
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“The best defense is a strong offense.. and I intend to start offending right now.”
-James T. Kirk
quote:
Originally posted by X:
It means, Slop does not know how to properly insert pictures into his post?
NO! It was working last night!!! Forking BB!
-SM
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“Your wrong this is one hell of a planet!”
-ATF agent in “Texx Lexx”Here see if you can figure out what this means.
If the image doesn’t show up just go here. http://www.geocities.com/slopmaster4001/HB.JPG
-SM
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“Your wrong this is one hell of a planet!”
-ATF agent in “Texx Lexx”[This message has been edited by Slopmaster (edited August 07, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Slopmaster (edited August 07, 2001).]
quote:
Originally posted by Slopmaster:
Here see if you can figure out what this means.
If the image doesn’t show up just go here. http://www.geocities.com/slopmaster4001/HB.JPG
-SM
Sorry SM, I can’t see the the image through the link or on the board, what was it you were trying to post?
Squishy——————
SquishyI found something…ok its not the “particle”, but an article written for non-scientists that explains the Higgs Boson particles by compairing them to mud. I think it is understandable.
http://www.alumni.uchicago.edu/magazine/0104/features/higgs.html[This message has been edited by SadGeezer (edited August 30, 2001).]
Since we’re on astrophysics and quantum mechanics and all the rest here (cool, even though I hate math)…. does anyone have any scifi/physics theories about what the blacksheets are? You know, the weapon of choice of the Divine Order… I’ve been intrigued by it ever since IWHS. Great visuals!
-JaceM of C described it as ‘sheets of pure energy’. I’d guess a sort of plasma based weapon, as you can see it move. Paul has a physics background, although there’s no reason he can’t just ignore the science and say ‘that would be a cool effect for a weapon’.
quote:
Originally posted by Cat:
Paul has a physics background, although there’s no reason he can’t just ignore the science and say ‘that would be a cool effect for a weapon’.
exactly, although it is fun to speculate
High energy physics ruled in Lexx when the Higgs superduperaccelerator saved the day in a bittersweet way, but cloning was the key to salvation for Xev and Kai. Surely you can’t think Lexx could make Lil Lexx with his special friend. Lil Lexx is a different creature than the special friend. Must be a clone of Lexx. Maybe that means it has no soul. Lil Lexx could be a monster.
The hixbozen was key to unleasing Kai from his Divine Punishment. It prompted Prince to keep his deal.* The hick’s bozo has been called The God Particle, a silly name for a mere quantum field model. But in Lexx, it Wuz the God Particle. (The jet in early messages in this post is just a jet of particles, so called because the forward momentum is higher than the transverse momentum hence the particle-antiparticle pairs are not all over space but jet out; the leptons (l) like electrons are as they are formed, but the quarks-antiquarks dress themselves into the hadrons we observe. All essential to reducing the Lyekka-oids to their fundamental state.)
* Actually, in the end Prince turned out to be very Good not Evil. He saved the cheerleader ark from the evil Professor Longbore, he gave Kai his freedom from the shadow and chance to redeem himself with good Karma, and he is like a big brother to Priest and Bunny. Prince was so good he looked evil at first, like the ends of a circle joining, or the ourobouros, or the cycles of time.
It might be interesting to note that Peter Higgs “Boson” particle is referred to in the scientific community as “The God Particle” or just “God”.
Perhaps Paul Donovan knew this too.
edit:
Never mind. One post too late
[ 07-05-2002: Message edited by: LexxLurker ]
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