William Atkins
Monday, 11 August 2008 22:44
Science -
Energy
Page 2 of 3
Further, on August 7, 2008, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world’s leading particle physics laboratory, announced that the first attempt to circulate a beam in the LHC will be conducted on September 10, 2008.
CERN is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The start-up of the particle accelerator will be televised through
Eurovision.
The LHC, which is located underground under the border between France and Switzerland near Geneva, Switzerland, in a 27-kilometer tunnel, is considered to be most powerful particle accelerator in the world when it comes online in 2008.
It will produce particle beams, beginning in 2010 when it reaches full power, which will be about thirty times more energetic than any other particle beam machines of its kind.
The commissioning of the LHC involved a series of very complicated steps. The machine’s eight sectors were cooled down to an operating temperature of 1.9 degrees above absolute zero (which is equivalent to -456.3 degrees Fahrenheit or -271.35 degrees Celsius).
Then, the electrical testing of 1,650 superconducting magnets was performed—each magnet was individually tested to ensure nominal operating current.
Once these initial steps were concluded successfully, all of the circuits in each sector were powered up. Then, the eight independent sectors were powered up together as one functioning machine.
What is the future for the LHC? Please read page three.
