Unanswered questions about the origin of mass have perplexed the scientific community for many decades. Using large hadron colliders to smash atoms together at otherwise impossible energies, physicists hope to explain why some particles don't appear to have any mass. One possible effect of atom smashing is the discovery of elementary particles such as the Higgs boson, which is theorized to hold the answer to why particles become massive.
According to NASA, only 4.6 percent of the universe is made up of matter. That leaves an astonishing amount of space that is believed to be formed of dark matter and dark energy. Besides studying the effects of gravity, detecting this space is extremely difficult. A possible effect of atom smashing is its ability to investigate how dark matter particles deviate light and increase the spin of galaxies. Another effect may involve the discovery of "supersymmetric particles" of dark matter, which may fit into the standard model as partners of known particles.
At the theorized origin of the universe, an equal amount of matter and antimatter was believed to have existed. To form energy, these oppositely charged atoms should have crashed and destroyed each other. However, it appears that more matter survived than antimatter. To explain this, physicists use atom smashing to observe differences in matter and antimatter. Further investigating what happened at the Big Bang, scientists study atoms by recreating theorized conditions in large hadron colliders. In regards to the heat and energy thresholds for atoms, uncovering why inconsistencies exist is another possible effect of atom smashing.
Another theorized effect of atom smashing involves the discovery of extra dimensions. Expanding on Albert Einstein's work of three dimensions in space and a fourth in time, further dimensions are proposed. String theory implies additional spatial dimensions, viewing particles essentially as vibrating strings. If experimental work with atom smashing confirms this prediction, quantum physicists might be able to better understand supersymmetry, black holes and singularities.