The World's Biggest Physics experiment will be on hold until April next year. Officials at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced this on Tuesday, after unexpected helium leak into sector 3-4 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) because of a faulty electrical connection.
Now experts will inspect the sector by bringing it to room temperature and opening up the magnets. This will take about three to four weeks. Then, CERN’s obligatory winter maintenance period will force it to restart in early spring of 2009. Till, then no show in LHC!
Earlier this month CERN had successful tested the LHC by sending a beam of protons clockwise through a 17 mile ring making up the system. The next steps in the experiment were to send the proton beam counter-clockwise through the LHC, and then eventually send beams in both directions having them collide in an attempt to study new forms of matter that could not be studied in any other existing machine.
Now experts will inspect the sector by bringing it to room temperature and opening up the magnets. This will take about three to four weeks. Then, CERN’s obligatory winter maintenance period will force it to restart in early spring of 2009. Till, then no show in LHC!
Earlier this month CERN had successful tested the LHC by sending a beam of protons clockwise through a 17 mile ring making up the system. The next steps in the experiment were to send the proton beam counter-clockwise through the LHC, and then eventually send beams in both directions having them collide in an attempt to study new forms of matter that could not be studied in any other existing machine.
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