Chances of Strangelet Forming?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the potential formation of strangelets in particle colliders and the associated doomsday scenario presented in the BBC program "End Day." Experts, including Frank Wilczek, have concluded that the chances of strangelet formation are vanishingly improbable, particularly since such events are expected to occur in stars, which have not been observed. The consensus is that the formation of strangelets would not lead to the destruction of Earth, as the theoretical risks have been thoroughly evaluated and deemed negligible.

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  • Basic understanding of particle physics
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  • Knowledge of the safety assessments conducted in high-energy physics
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  • Research the properties and implications of strangelets in particle physics
  • Study the safety protocols and assessments in high-energy particle colliders like the Large Hadron Collider
  • Examine the historical context of nuclear test safety evaluations, particularly those by physicist Edward Teller
  • Explore the theoretical frameworks surrounding cosmic phenomena and their implications for Earth
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kabz
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hi all, i am new to these forums and have a question that has been on my mind for quite some time,
about 12 months ago there was a programme on the bbc called "End Day",
in which there was a doomsday scenario that a particle collider would create a strangelet,
which in turn would engulf the world and squash us to the size of a small pea,

my question is: what are the chances of this actually happening?
i do not have an exstensive physics knowledge and so far everything i have found goes into too much technical detail,
what i would like is for a straight simple answer in as close to laymans terms as possible.
many thanx
 
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I believe Frank Wilcek and a few others were on a commission to study the chance of this scenario and came to the conclusion that it was vanishingly improbable. The problem is you would expect this sort of scenario (if true) to occur in stars, and of course this is unobserved.
 
can someone please explain why strangelet forming will destroy earth? i mean why would that scenario happen?
 
If it were in a such comission, I had also concluded it can not destroy the earth... they are not going to blame me if I am wrong, are them?

People asked Bethe, about a calculation of the same kind he was forced to do before the first A-bomb test, if he was worried about it when the test was done. You can imagine, "Wait, it was hbar, not h!"
 

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