2008: Completion of the first Large Hadron Collider
2008 will see the completion of the world's first Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) laboratory, in the outskirts
of Geneva. The Collider will be contained in a circular tunnel 27km in circumference buried deep
underground and will straddle the Swiss and
French borders.
The Collider will be the largest particle accelerator in the world. Inside the ring, magnets will guide
beams of heavy ions or protons to collide against each other in a vacuum.
Scientists hope that among other things, the physical reactions involved will help them understand the origins of matter. It has been estimated that these proton-proton collisions will produce enormous amounts of energy, in the order
of 7 TeV per beam. It will also generate large amounts of computer data, which CERN will proceed to
distribute to laboratories across the world.
Experiments are expected to start in May 2008.
Links:
CERN homepage