November 21, 2006—The world's largest superconducting magnet has been successfully powered up on its first try and is ready to test some of the most fundamental questions of science, researchers say.
Weighing 110 tons (100 metric tons), the Barrel Toroid—seen here with all eight of its superconducting coils clearly visible in a photo released November 20—is 16 feet (5 meters) wide and 82 feet (25 meters) long, dwarfing the lone technician seen bottom center.
The instrument is a vital component of ATLAS, one of the particle detectors housed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research's (CERN's) Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a new, internationally funded particle accelerator scheduled to begin operation late next year in Geneva, Switzerland. Particle accelerators create and collide beams of speeding, highly energetic atomic or subatomic particles.
The LHC will smash two beams of protons together in some of the most energetic collisions ever created. The goal, physicists say, is to explore the fundamental nature of matter and energy by creating conditions similar to those of the early universe.
At stake are some of science's most difficult puzzles. What is dark matter? Why do things have mass? Why is there so little antimatter? The LHC could provide answers to them all.
The Barrel Toroid will help scientists analyze the proton collisions by generating an enormous magnetic field to bend the paths of charged particles. Scientists can use the angle of deflection along with readings from other instruments to puzzle out what particles were created.
To check that the Barrel Toroid was working, researchers began cooling the instrument to -459 degrees Fahrenheit (-269 degrees Celsius) in July. After six weeks, the device was slowly powered up to an electrical current of 21,000 amps on November 9—more than enough to generate the needed magnetic field.
The instrument was then safely discharged of its stored magnetic energy—1.1 gigajoules, the equivalent of 10,000 cars traveling at 43 miles (75 kilometers) an hour.
Said Herman ten Kate, ATLAS magnet system project leader, in a statement: "We can now say that the ATLAS Barrel Toroid is ready for physics."
March 18, 2005—A Brown University physicist believes a fireball he created in a particle accelerator may have been a black hole. Using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (pictured above) at Brookhaven Laboratory in Upton, New York, Horatiu Nastase smashed the nuclei of gold atoms together at nearly the speed of light.
The collisions were powerful enough to break the nuclei into gluons and quarks, the most basic building blocks of matter. The particles created a plasma fireball 300 million times hotter than the surface of the sun. In a paper published on Cornell University's arxiv.org Web site, Nastase wrote that, based on his calculations, the fireball behaved like a black hole, absorbing streams of particles and radiating them as heat.
For now, any fears of the collider creating a civilization-destroying supergravity vortex are misplaced. The forces involved in the experiment were simply too weak, and the theoretical black hole was very short-lived. How brief? Divide a second by 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Dark Energy
The least understood component of the dark side is dark energy, which is believed to comprise 70 percent of the universe. But whatever dark energy is, it appears to be causing the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Based on observations of a range of exploding stars—or supernovae—out to about 7 billion light years, astronomers see hints that the universe was slowing down approximately 7 billion years ago, but they are confident that it has more recently begun to accelerate.
Kirshner at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said that for most of the 20th century scientists had assumed cosmic expansion would be slowing down, but that it now looks like dark energy is making the universe speed up.
This shift from slowing down to speeding up is a clue into the nature of dark energy, said Kirshner. Unlike dark matter, which is believed to have slowed down the expansion of the universe for several billion years owing to its gravitational tug, dark energy does not become diluted over time.
Dark energy may be a modern form of Einstein's lamented "cosmological constant." or it may be an energy that changes over time. Observation programs underway will help find out.
"It's a little like looking out the window and seeing a tree swaying, with its leaves fluttering. You don't see anything doing it but you say, 'oh, it's the wind,'" said Kirshner. "We see the acceleration, so we assume there's something doing it, and dark energy could be the source."
Kirshner and his colleagues plan to take advantage of new technologies such as electronic cameras on ground based telescopes like the Cerro Tololo telescope in Chile and the new Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope to find and measure more supernovae and hence learn more about the nature of dark energy.

Andrew,

Thanks for the posting. Which Theosophical concepts do you see reflected in these reports?

Hard to explain, except that they remind me of concepts HPB put in the "Book of Dzyan." I wish I had the theoretical and mathematical knowledge to break down everything we're finding in the universe into a "physics of theosophy." When younger, I had hopes of becoming a scientist and applying theosophical principles to them, or vice versa. David Pratt has some good science behind his theosophy papers:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/homepage.htm

I think one thing we can draw from it is the Qabalistic idea, "Out of darkness, Light!" Keeping up on the new physics, particularly, helps me sustain my theosophical intuitions.

Andrew

Andrew,

We may be able to turn this into a good discussion. Which concepts in the Stanzas of Dzyan are you referring to?

First of all, the following reminds me of a super-massive black hole wherein everything is contained and held in adhesion until it becomes another "big bang":

STANZA I.
1. "THE ETERNAL PARENT (Space), WRAPPED IN HER EVER INVISIBLE ROBES, HAD SLUMBERED ONCE AGAIN FOR SEVEN ETERNITIES (a)."

The "Parent Space" is the eternal, ever present cause of all -- the incomprehensible DEITY, whose "invisible robes" are the mystic root of all matter, and of the Universe. Space is the one eternal thing that we can most easily imagine, immovable in its abstraction and uninfluenced by either the presence or absence in it of an objective Universe. It is without dimension, in every sense, and self-existent. Spirit is the first differentiation from THAT, the causeless cause of both Spirit and Matter. It is, as taught in the esoteric catechism, neither limitless void, nor conditioned fulness, but both. It was and ever will be. (See Proem pp. 2 et seq.)

Thus, the "Robes" stand for the noumenon of undifferentiated Cosmic Matter. It is not matter as we know it, but the spiritual essence of matter, and is co-eternal and even one with Space in its abstract sense. Root-nature is also the source of the subtile invisible properties in visible matter. It is the Soul, so to say, of the ONE infinite Spirit. The Hindus call it Mulaprakriti, and say that it is the primordial substance, which is the basis of the Upadhi or vehicle of every phenomenon, whether physical, mental or psychic. It is the source from which Akasa radiates.

(a) By the Seven "Eternities," aeons or periods are meant. The word "Eternity," as understood in Christian theology, has no meaning to the Asiatic ear, except in its application to the ONE existence; nor is the term sempiternity, the eternal only in futurity, anything better than a misnomer.* Such words do not and cannot exist in philosophical metaphysics, and were unknown till the advent of ecclesiastical Christianity. The Seven Eternities meant are the seven periods, or a period answering in its duration to the seven periods, of a Manvantara, and extending throughout a Maha-Kalpa or the "Great Age" -- 100 years of Brahma -- making a total of 311,040,000,000,000 of years; each year of Brahma being composed of 360 "days," and of the same number of "nights" of Brahma (reckoning by the Chandrayana or lunar year); and a "Day of Brahma" consisting of 4,320,000,000 of mortal years. These "Eternities" belong to the most secret calculations, in which, in order to arrive at the true total, every figure must be 7x (7 to the power of x); x varying according to the nature of the cycle in the subjective or real world; and every figure or number relating to, or representing all the different cycles from the greatest to the smallest -- in the objective or unreal world -- must necessarily be multiples of seven. The key to this cannot be given . . .

From Wikipedia:

The function of the Tzimtzum was "to conceal from created beings the activating force within them, enabling them to exist as tangible entities, instead of being utterly nullified within their source" [1]. The tzimtzum produced the required "vacated space" (chalal panui çìì ôðåé, chalal çìì), devoid of direct awareness of God's presence.

Because the Tzimtzum results in the conceptual "space" in which the physical universe and free will can exist, God is often referred to as "Ha-Makom" (äî÷åí lit. "the place", "the omnipresent") in Rabbinic literature. Relatedly, olam - the Hebrew word for "world" or universe - is derived from the root word òìí meaning "concealment". This etymology is complementary with the concept of Tzimtzum, in that the physical universe conceals the spiritual nature of creation.
P.S. Compare this idea from Qabalism with what was quoted above from HPB. I think there is a lot of similarity with the "Book of Dzyan."

Andrew,

It is interesting to think of the conditions described in the beginning of the Stranzas of Dzyan as a Black Hole.

The universe we see is only composed of physical atoms and light. It has been said that it is only by the constant interaction of Fohat and Mulaprakriti that physical atoms exist. It has also been said that, if this interaction between Fohat and Mulaprakriti were to stop for only a micro-second, the entire physical universe would disappear (which is what I think will happen in the next universal Pralaya).

The way I see it, even Black Holes will disappear in the next universal Pralaya.

The Secret Doctrine talks about differentiation as the beginning of our universe. It is this differentiation that gives us different types of matter (different types of atoms, etc.) During a univesal Pralaya, there is no differentiation, so there would be no distinction between Black-Hole-stuff and non-Black-Hole-stuff. (I imagine that even gravity and electricity do not exist during a universal Pralaya — without gravity a Black Hole cannot exist.)

In the Besant-Leadbeater tradition of Theosophy, they talk about the nature of physical atoms, astral atoms, etc. (I do not know if such a discussion exists in the literature of the followers of Mr. Judge.) It has been said that a single physical atom is merely the conbination of hundreds of astral atoms. A single astral atom is merely the conbination of hundreds of mental atoms. A single mental atom is merely the conbination of hundreds of Buddhi atoms. All of these are combinations of Adi atoms, which are said to be the smallest unit of differentiated matter. It has also been said that even Adi atoms do not exist during a univesal Pralaya.

It boggles the mind to think of the conditions during a universal Pralaya, where there is nothing but Mulaprakriti.

So-called "black holes" boggle the mind today, and they seem to break all laws of physics except that of gravity. That's why I can equate them with HPB's Stanzas, especially her earliest ones which obviously speak of singularities. Will Fohat disappear at the end/beginning of another Pralaya? I don't think so, and I also believe Fohat to contain the concept of gravity as one of its "powers." The problem is that HPB had to use esoteric symbolism for spiritual/physical realities that are way beyond our ability to comprehend. Space will certainly not disappear in the Pralaya---and, as I see it, neither will any of its 10 or 11 dimensions.

Andrew

Fohat, being one of the most, if not the most important character in esoteric Cosmogony, should be minutely described. As in the oldest Grecian Cosmogony, differing widely from the later mythology, Eros is the third person in the primeval trinity: Chaos, Gaea, Eros: answering to the Kabalistic En-Soph (for Chaos is SPACE, [[Chaino]], "void") the Boundless ALL, Shekinah and the Ancient of Days, or the Holy Ghost; so Fohat is one thing in the yet unmanifested Universe and another in the phenomenal and Cosmic World. In the latter, he is that Occult, electric, vital power, which, under the Will of the Creative Logos, unites and brings together all forms, giving them the first impulse which becomes in time law. But in the unmanifested Universe, Fohat is no more this, than Eros is the later brilliant winged Cupid, or LOVE. Fohat has naught to do with Kosmos yet, since Kosmos is not born, and the gods still sleep in the bosom of "Father-Mother." He is an abstract philosophical idea. He produces nothing yet by himself; he is simply that potential creative power in virtue of whose action the NOUMENON of all future phenomena divides, so to speak, but to reunite in a mystic supersensuous act, and emit the creative ray. When the "Divine Son" breaks forth, then Fohat becomes the propelling force, the active Power which causes the ONE to become TWO and THREE -- on the Cosmic plane of manifestation. The triple One differentiates into the many, and then Fohat is transformed into that force which brings together the elemental atoms and makes them aggregate and combine.

[I hate to answer my own Posts, but I keep having ideas.]
Perhaps Fohat corresponds to what is now known in physics as "Higgs Bosons" which are the first "emanation" in the "Big Bang" (of a new Manvantara). They are said to provide the impetus for the aggregation, attraction, and repulsion of primordial matter (the "Father-Mother-Son" of the new outbreathing). Perhaps, to be fair, Fohat even precedes these bosons as a "probability wave," but I cannot see the new awakening of another Manvantara without Fohat. It appears to me that the closer physics comes to finding these new particles, the closer they come to the "upper end of spirit" of which continuity is the "lower end of matter." As indicated above, Fohat somehow corresponds to the "Ain Sof Aur" of Qabalism, in which, for want of a better term, God creates the tzimtzum (contraction, space) for "creation."

[Here I go again!]
According to Brian Greene's, "The Fabric of the Cosmos," pages 268-9, he refers to something called "The Return of the Aether." To quote, "If a Higgs ocean is an invisible something that fills what we ordinarily think of as empty space, isn't it just another incarnation of the long discredited notion of the aether? The answer: yes and no. . . . . Like the aether, a condensed Higgs field permeates space, surrounds us all, seeps right through everything material, and, as a nonremovable feature of empty space . . . it redefines our conception of nothingness. . . . a Higgs ocean has nothing to do with the motion of light . . . the Higgs ocean has no effect on anything moving . . . . If there is an ocean of Higgs field . . . Higgs fields are composed of particles that, not surprisingly, are called Higgs particles. . . . Higgs fields play a deep and pivotal role in our current formulation of fundamental physics."

This brings HPB's "Secret Doctrine" up-to-date with her advocacy of [a]ether! The question is: is Fohat a Higgs ocean?

Andrew,

The idea of a Higgs ocean is fascinating. The more we can equate Theosophy with modern science, the better. (They are both describing the same thing, aren't they...?)

I believe Blavatsky said the nature of Fohat is different at the cosmic level than at the physical level. I think she also said the nature of Fohat is different during a universal Manvatara and a universal Pralaya. (Does anyone have quotes...?)

I enjoyed your grappling with the spelling of [a]ether. It is just like [a]eon.

RE: "I enjoyed your grappling with the spelling of [a]ether. It is just like [a]eon."

When in Rome, huh? Scientists! LOL

Stephen Hawking described both the Big-Bang, and black holes as examples of singularities - situations in which the (known) laws of physics break down, though I don't think he meant to imply that the Big-Bang began from a black hole. A black hole exists in space-time, where as before the Big-Bang, there was no space-time.
I think the comparison is valid as far as the laws of physics goes, and that the comparison of pre-cosmic ideation with a singularity is intriguing. I am thinking in terms of probability waves collapsing into reality with observation. The Lord saw that it was good.

Jon,

There is some credibility being given to a new theory that universes scraping together could have caused the Big Bang. This theory is related to the studies to account for all mass in the Universe, which by perception and tests seem to be "too light."

Other theories suggest that black holes may open up white holes in other universes.

Other theories still are suggesting that there was actually time before the Big Bang.

Physics and sciences are tending to represent and explain things we already understand. However, when we enter new areas they no longer work. So, we develop new forms of physics and fields of science. I recall it being said, by Blavatsky I think, that science would always follow spirituality (or areas, concepts and philosophies of Theosophy), and is therefore useful for that purpose.

I am sure none of this contributes anything significant, but might add some additional color to the thread.

... Christian