Comments on: Starting up the world’s largest particle accelerator

By: photographer shaun

photographer shaun — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:16:49 +0000

“Cool down the superconducting magnets. The process of cooling the LHC to 1.9 K takes about ten weeks for each LHC sector. When all sectors have been cooled, the LHC is the coldest place on the planet”

I know where to come to get my beer chilled quickly!

By: Frank James

Frank James — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:31:04 +0000

Starting up a new accelerator is a great thrill. I saw Nina start up at Daresbury, while on a TV screen above our heads the astronauts were landing on the moon. I was at CERN when the PS synchrotron began life with Mervin Hine at the helm. I also helped to get the PS Booster going once we had changed the values of Qv and Qh from the ones set by the “experts”.Frank Sacherer was someone to be thanked for that. Alas he died in a climbing accident.
Linac 2 was fun and linac 4 will be quite a task in store!
It is great to be able to get a blow by blow account straight from the control room of the LHC, one feels almost present looking over the shoulders. Congratulations to all especially Lyn, a fellow Welshman.

By: Jurjen

Jurjen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:08:09 +0000

I thought the coldest temperature record was around 1 nK. I don’t think that device is on _today_, however.
Anyway, I guess it is probably the biggest machine every built, which I think is pretty cool in any sense of the word.

By: Sir Kelvin

Sir Kelvin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:58:14 +0000

Hey Kent, anywhere else that you know is at 1.9K around here? In this quantity?
This is a major refrigerative achievement!

By: Norman

Norman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:22:59 +0000

The human element is missing from the story. It is people who will make the LHC work.

By: Tenuc

Tenuc — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:21:35 +0000

Just got my fingers crossed that everything runs OK this time when the LHC restarts. I’m not optimistic we will find the so called ‘god particle’ as I don’t think it exists, but I’m sure other unexpected discoveries will be made – seems to be the way progress is made.

Some new knowledge of how to solve the energy shortage, which is going to hit us in 50 years or so, would make the massive expenditure worthwhile. We’re lucky to be living in interesting times.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:06:26 +0000

I carry my flashlight all the time now. It is not that I have a fear of the dark but I want to be THE HERO to help mankind find its way out of the black hole this thing will create.

By: Mike Mulvey

Mike Mulvey — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:42:18 +0000

This is the stuff that sci fi movies and books were about. Just dreams now reality. neat stuff

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:44:27 +0000

Remarkable and informative

By: Kent

Kent — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:20:05 +0000

Over-hyping makes me barf in my mouth.

“The process of cooling the LHC to 1.9 K… the coldest place on the planet.”

*ahem*