•Written by The Editors• ••Thursday•, 27 •March• 2008 04:57•
Worried about Geneva disintegrating into a black hole when the latest particle accelerator – the Large Hadron Collider (LHR) – of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) goes into operation later this year? Or do you simply wish to find out more about this new scientific instrument, the largest and most complex of its kind in the world? Whatever your concerns, you can learn more at CERN, which is holding an open day this Sunday, 6 April, 2008 both at its headquarters in Meyrin and at various other access points in the Canton of Geneva and neighbouring France. And if you haven't got time, Essential Edge writers will visit for you. Watch this space!
The LHC is being currently installed in a 100-metre deep tunnel that loops for 27 km underground through both Switzerland and France. This will enable particles, such as protons or heavy ions, to be accelerated at almost the speed of light in two tubes. At four intersection points, they will collide at an energy level never before reached in a particle accelerator. This will contribute toward the study of new - and hitherto inaccessible - areas of physics.
As part of this latest public information initiative, CERN will open all access points around the ring for visits to the tunnel and underground experiment caverns. On the surface, a wide-ranging programme will also be offered. Visitors will be able to learn about the physics related to this massive instrument, the technology underlying it, and its applications in other fields.
The LHC experiments are expected to help answer fundamental questions, such as the origin of mass or the nature of so-called “dark matter”. However, since the LHC will also explore a new energy range with results expected to prompt new questions and new physics.
Visitors will be able to descend into the underground caverns to witness for themselves the LHC, including some of its large-scale experiments already in place, notably ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb. However, since access to these areas is limited because of elevator capacity and safety concerns, CERN is also adding a range of activities on the surface. Here visitors can learn about particle physics as well as talk to the CERN engineers and physicists involved. Two Nobel laureates will also be on hand to give lectures about their prize-winning discoveries.
A further focus will be the central theme of superconductivity, the principle on which the LHC operation is based. At the heart of the LHC magnets lie 7000 kilometres of superconducting cables, which are cooled to a temperature of nearly absolute zero and which will enable electricity to be conducted without resistance. A series of experiments, exhibitions and films will also introduce the public to various aspects of this unique scientific phenomenon.
The fun and excitement of physics will further be demonstrated in the Globe of Science and Innovation outside the main CERN entrance, plus various physics presentations at select venues around the ring. Children will be able to meet up with the presenter of a popular French TV show on his tour through eight communes close to the LHC access points, or take part personally in a “magical physics” show.
More details on the Open Day programme and additional information can be found on the CERN website.
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