Large Hadron Collider out until mid-2009

by Rich Bowden - Nov 17 2008, 20:37

Crippled atom-smasher and largest science experiment of all time, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), will be out of action until mid-2009 and cost an estimated $21 million USD to repair, its operator said Monday.

Img: LHC superconducting magnets. Credit LHC-2/flickr.

Nine days after beginning a much-anticipated experiment on the Swiss-French border to smash protons at high speed to recreate conditions at the beginning of the universe, an electrical fault shut the collider down. While controllers initially thought the problem could be fixed before the end of the year, the most recent statement issued by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) has pushed back the re-start date until June 2009 or later."If we can do it sooner, all well and good. But I think we can do it realistically (in) early summer," CERN spokesman James Gillies told AP.CERN said it was a single badly soldered connection that derailed the controversial project, which aimed to resolve many scientific questions about the fundamental nature of sub-atomic particles. The assessment has taken time because the collider operates under temperatures colder than in outer space and needed to be gradually warmed before operators could examine the faulty part."Now the sector is warm so they are able to go in and physically look at each of the interconnections," added Gillies.It is estimated the multi-million dollar repair bill will fall within the budget for the atom smasher.For a look at the Large Hadron Collider in photos, diagrams and videos, see The Tech Herald's comprehensive article here.

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