Visions of the Large Hadron Collider – an interview with Antonella de Santo

University of Sussex physicist Professor Antonella de Santo joins a panel discussion on Visions of the Large Hadron Collider at Fabrica Gallery in Brighton on 5 September for the British Science Festival.

‘As a kid, I was enthralled by sci-fi shows such as Space 1999 or Star Trek’

What first sparked your interest in science?

I’ve always found numbers and science fascinating. As a kid, I was enthralled by sci-fi shows such as Space 1999 or Star Trek. I thought that the scientists on the shows looked really cool and I wanted to be one of them. Mr Spock was my favourite.

What’s it like to have a ‘eureka’ moment?

Eureka moments don’t come very often, but when they do it’s electrifying.

It’s a bit like when for a long time you try to complete one of those nasty Ravensburger jigsaws, those with 10,000 pieces of Alpine landscape. Maybe you’ve been using the wrong piece in the wrong place all along, and the picture is nearly finished but it doesn’t look quite right. And all of a sudden you see it, glaring at you, that wonky piece in the middle of the lake, the one that actually belongs to the sky. And you turn it upside-down, move it where it should be, and finally everything clicks perfectly, and you say to yourself: “How could I have not seen that before?”

I’m normally a well caffeinated scientist. I might be getting my next espresso cup from the coffee machine when a good idea pops into my head. Sometimes just the act of getting away from your desk or lab for a few minutes gives you the mental space that you need to see things from a slightly different angle, and all of a sudden everything makes sense.

What will the audience learn at your event?

The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s most powerful particle smasher, where we collide beams of particles of unprecedented high energies in order to unravel the deepest mysteries of the origin of our Universe. You will learn about the science of the Large Hadron Collider, the “why” questions it addresses, and some of the visual art it inspires.

What’s important about your area of research?

Particle physics has transformed the way in which we look at the universe. It explores how matter and forces work and gives us a key to understand the world around us at its most fundamental level. While we do it driven by a spirit of curiosity (very much like explorers seeking Newfoundland), there have been many significant spinoffs from experimental particle physics that have had an important impact on society. The World Wide Web was invented at CERN, the biggest particle physics laboratory in the world, and a lot of the technology used for medical diagnostic (e.g., MRI and PET scanners, proton and ion therapy) and security (e.g., at airports) stems from technology developed for use in particle physics experiments.

Which scientific discovery or invention has made the greatest difference to your life?

Medical imaging (from particle physics!) and keyhole surgery. They save lives and I think they are amazing.

Which scientific mystery would you most like solved?

Only about 5% of the universe is visible – stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae. About another quarter is made of an invisible matter substance, never observed directly in an experiment, and which we call “dark matter”. The rest is a force, known as “dark energy”, which repels gravity. I’d really like to know what dark matter and dark energy are made up of. 

The Large Hadron Collider may be able to recreate dark matter particles in the lab, and that’s what I’m trying to figure out at the moment.

Which scientists (alive, dead or fictional) would you invite to a summer picnic?

Marie Curie, without a doubt. And Mr Spock!

Professor Antonella de Santo joins a panel discussion on Visions of the Large Hadron Collider for the British Science Festival.