Large Hadron Collider relaunch timetable pushed to September

by Rich Bowden - Feb 10 2009, 20:36

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) have advised they are now looking at September for the relaunch of the world's most expensive particle physics experiment.

The giant $5.4 billion USD atom smasher, located on the French-Swiss border, was shut down just nine days after it began its historic experiment in September of 2008, which was aimed, among other things, to re-create conditions at the very birth of the universe.

Scientists were originally looking to bring the collider back into operation around July, however this proved impractical due to extensive repair work.

The new timetable will see the Large Hadron Collider restart its operations in September of this year with actual particle collisions expected to begin in October.

Physicists at CERN have said the new timetable is tight but should allow the vitally important experiments to proceed.

“The schedule we have now is without a doubt the best for the LHC and for the physicists waiting for data,” said CERN director general Rolf Heuer. “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.”

The groundbreaking physics experiment was initially disabled due to a faulty electrical connection in one of the accelerator's giant magnets.

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