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Collider May Be Back Online by Late Fall—on Low

Physicists bail for US as troubles crop up at Swiss megaproject

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 4, 2009 7:50 AM CDT
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(Newser) – It took 15 years and $9 billion to build, but since its massively hyped debut in September, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland hasn't collided any particles at all. Physicists in Europe are certain the 17-mile machine will eventually produce revolutionary science, on everything from dark matter to extra dimensions. After fixing thousands of bad electrical connections, engineers expect the Hadron Collider to be up again by winter, but it could be years before the machine works at full strength.

Many researchers, frustrated at the slow pace, have abandoned the project for a smaller competitor in Illinois. As the New York Times reports, the faltering of CERN's mega-machine has helped to slow a brain drain of physicists from America to Europe, particularly younger scholars who need to work toward tenure. "The public pays for this," says one CERN physicist, "and we need to start delivering."

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., has become a competitor to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., has become a competitor to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.   (AP Photo/Fermilab)
The meltdown of a connection between superconducting magnets nine days after the activation of the Large Hadron Collider was troublesome, but not unexpected.
The meltdown of a connection between superconducting magnets nine days after the activation of the Large Hadron Collider was troublesome, but not unexpected.   (AP Photo/Fabrice Coffrini, Pool, File)
CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle collider, is scheduled to restart in fall 2009.
CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle collider, is scheduled to restart in fall 2009.   (Photo: Business Wire)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
cognitivefilter
Aug 5, 2009 4:02 AM CDT
am i the only one who is nervous about such experiments? what if we suck ourselves into a black hole? what if we destroy matter and the whole universe goes off balance? whatevs let's hope for the best. FULL THROTTLE
kokuaguy
Aug 4, 2009 11:02 AM CDT
So my memory may be failing me here ... are you Christiian Dan?
newsrmandan
Aug 4, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
Billions of billions of years ago on an earth like planet some one built a similar collider. They created a black whole the remains of which became known as our universe. And two primitive molecules fatefully (scratch that) chanced upon each other the rest of course is scientific fact as we know it. What not plausible? Its a better explanation then two proteins finding themselves on the backs of crystals.

 
physics • CERN • Large Hadron Collider

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