Public series of talks

Gigantic particle physics experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN are built for one purpose: To explore the mysteries of the universe. In 2015 the LHC achieved a milestone, smashing protons at the highest energy ever used for such a purpose, re-creating the conditions of the universe as they were just a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, fourteen billion years ago. And what physicists are learning so far is that our universe is extremely odd. But to know exactly how odd it is we need to build a bigger collider, to get even closer to the moment of the Big Bang. How big do we need to go? Join particle physicist James Beacham as he explores what we would likely learn – about dark matter, the Higgs boson, and whether we live in a multiverse – if we built a particle collider in space, circling around the moon, and what this means for society.

Note: This event takes place externally, starts at 8:30 pm and is subject to a fee: KOSMOS, Lagerstrasse 104, 8004 Zurich

With over ten billion worlds that could host life in our galaxy, I would be shocked if Earth were the only planet with life. What might aliens look like? Are they friendly or should we hide our presence? Where might they live and how can we detect their existence? Why haven’t we been contacted and what should we do if we are?