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'Big Bang' Machine Won't Start Until Fall
Repairs to giant collider taking longer than expected
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Feb 10, 09 3:30 PM CST
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(Newser)
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Scientists won’t restart the Large Hadron Collider until late September—a 6-week delay for the machine designed to replicate the Big Bang, Reuters reports. Repairs of last fall's electrical glitch are taking longer than expected. Particle collisions in the world’s biggest, most complex machine are now scheduled to resume in October, and operations will continue until the following fall, with a quick break at the end of this year.
“The schedule we have now is without a doubt the best for the LHC and for the physicists waiting for data,” a researcher said. “It is cautious, ensuring that all the necessary work is done on the LHC before we start up, yet it allows physics research to begin this year.”