The Florida State University Physics department held a scientific lecture on Thursday, May 28, in HCB 101 on the FSU Campus. Professor Harrison Prosper, recently named a Distinguished Research Professor, spoke about the hard science behind the recent movie and book by Dan Brown, Angels and Demons.

Angels and Demons makes for an interesting read and an exciting movie, but the concepts referenced in the story may leave audience members with lingering questions. Does anti-matter really exist? Could anti-matter really blow up Rome? Is there such a thing as the Large Hadron Collider? Prosper addressed these questions and more.

Angels and Demons Movie : Beyond The Trailer

As it turns out, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, which is referenced in the movie, does exist. Some of FSU professors even participate in research at the European Center for Particle Physics, which resides in CERN. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) also exists and will be the world’s most powerful particle accelerator when it soon begins to operate.
These particle accelerators make anti-matter regularly. The amount of anti-matter at risk in the movie, one-fifth of a gram, would be enough to destroy Rome. But speakers at the lecture pointed out there is no reason to worry; the most powerful particle accelerator that is currently active, Fermilab, makes at most two-billionths of a gram of anti-matter per year. That means it would take 109 million years to produce one-fifth of a gram. Rome is safe for now.

Here are some snaps of 'Angels & Demons' movie