Can gravitons help unify quantum mechanics and general relativity?

[Physics4Eva]

TL;DR

In school we've been looking into easy concepts such as Newton's Laws and gravity. However, today I remembered gravitons. Considering how this partical connects with atoms, is it possible that this particle, if discovered, could lead to a theory connecting the basic forces of nature?

W and Z bosons, gluons, and photons are all gauge bosons that have been found. Since the graviton can be connnected to atoms and mass in certain ways, I think that CERN may eventually prove the graviton(if real) through smashing atoms that, supposedly, have a graviton orbiting them. Could finding this particle help to provide better understanding of the four basic forces and, therefore, connect quantum physics and classical physics?
Thank you for your insight!

 

[Drakkith]

I think that CERN may eventually prove the graviton(if real) through smashing atoms that, supposedly, have a graviton orbiting them.

Not sure where you heard this from, but it is incorrect. Gravitons are not orbiting atoms. The would be similar to photons in that they exist as real particles in gravitational waves and as virtual particles mediating the gravitational force between objects. But you won't find them bound to anything.

 

[PeterDonis]

I think that CERN may eventually prove the graviton

No, it won't be able to; to reach energies that would enable us to probe the quantum gravity regime directly in accelerators (which, btw, would not, as @Drakkith says, involve trying to smash atoms with gravitons "orbiting" in them--modern accelerators like the LHC don't smash atoms any more anyway, they smash subatomic particles; the LHC smases together hadrons--strongly interacting particles like the proton--hence the name Large Hadron Collider), we would have to build accelerators many orders of magnitude larger than the ones we have now. Such an accelerator would not fit on planet Earth, and probably would not even fit inside the solar system.