Depths Of Matter
Big Bang machine starts again
A European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) scientist controls a computer screen showing traces on Atlas experiment of the first protons injected in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) during its switch on operation at the Cern's press center near Geneva, Switzerland
Scientists moved Nov 22 to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs. Scientists switched on the world's largest atom smasher for the first time on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 since the $10 billion machine suffered a spectacular failure more than a year ago, circulating beams of protons in a significant leap forward for the Large Hadron Collider. The nuclear physicists working on the Large Hadron Collider were surprised that they could so quickly get beams of protons whizzing near the speed of light during the restart late Friday(Novem 20), said James Gillies, spokesman for the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The machine was heavily damaged by a simple electrical fault in September last year. Some scientists had gone home early Friday and had to be called back as the project jumped ahead, Gillies said. At a meeting early Saturday (Nov 21),"they basically had to tear up the first few pages of their PowerPoint presentation which had outlined the procedures that they were planning to follow," he said. "That was all wrapped up by midnight. They are going through the paces really very fast." The European Organization for Nuclear Research has taken the restart of the collider step by step to avoid further setbacks as it moves toward new scientific experiments - probably starting in January - regarding the makeup of matter and the universe. CERN, as it is known, had hoped by 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) Saturday (Nov 21) to get the beams to travel the 27-kilometer (17-mile) circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border, but things went so well on earlier evening (Nov 20) that they had achieved the operation seven hours earlier. Praise from scientists around the world was quick.
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