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Cern press office James Gillies shows journalists, October 2008, mechanical damage to the LHC

Cern control centre, LHC, shortly after the accident, October 2008

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Cern, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, will restart its Large Hadron Collider (LHC), shut down in October 2008 following an accident. The new schedule was announced 9 February following a workshop of technical experts the first week of February in Chamonix.

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The LHC, which is the highest energy particle accelerator in the world, designed to allow “physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things,” had to be shut down shortly after its much-hyped startup due to a large helium leak that Cern later said was due to a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator’s magnets. The connection problem caused mechanical damage.

The inauspicious LHC control centre near Geneva, Switzerland

The French national power lines run through the centre of Cern's ring, in the Swiss-French border area

Cern, in a press release, provided details as well as the new startup date: “The new schedule foresees first beams in the LHC at the end of September this year, with collisions following in late October.  A short technical stop has also been foreseen over the Christmas period. The LHC will then run through to autumn next year, ensuring that the experiments have adequate data to carry out their first new physics analyses and have results to announce in 2010. The new schedule also permits the possible collisions of lead ions in 2010.”

Rolf Heuer, Cern director general

The new schedule is a delay of six weeks from the most recent schedule offered, although in October 2008 Cern was saying the startup would be in April or May 2009. The organization’s new director general as of 1 January 2009, Rolf Heuer, opted for greater prudence. “The schedule we have now is without a doubt the best for the LHC and for the physicists waiting for data. 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 delay is due in part to the need to install new pressure valves to reduce damage in case of a repeat “incident,” new protection systems and helium transfer and storage scheduling constraints.

Cows graze on the land at the centre of the Cern ring, which is 26, 659 metres in circumference, with 9,300 magnets inside

James Gillies, Cern, shows reporters the LHC map - October 2008

Related:

“Cern’s new boss says LHC breakdown bill could reach CHF40 million,” GenevaLunch, 27 January 2008

“Cern says LHC re-start will be spring 2009,” GenevaLunch, 23 September 2008