CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research on the Swiss-French border, on Friday restarted the world’s largest particle accelerator in a bid to find out more about the origins of the universe.
This content was published on
1 minute
RTS/Reuters/jc
Русский
ru
В Швейцарии перезапущен БАК – крупнейший в мире ускоритель
The27-kilometre Large Hadron ColliderExternal link has been out of action since the start of 2019 for maintenance and upgrades, which were slowed down by Covid-19. Restarting it is a complex procedure akin to directing “an orchestra”, where “all the right steps have to be taken at the right time”, CERN scientist Rende Steerenberg told Reuters earlier this week.
It will take six to eight weeks for the machine to run at full speed, and only then will proton collisions take place again, which scientists hope will reveal more about the fundamental laws of the universe.
Collisions observed at CERN between 2010 and 2013 brought proof of the existence of the long-sought Higgs Boson particle which, along with its linked energy field, is thought to be vital to the formation of the universe after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. Physicists hope the resumption of collisions will help in their quest for so-called “dark matter” that lies beyond the visible universe.
More
More
Large Hadron Collider to get bigger and brighter
This content was published on
The world’s largest particle collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern) near Geneva is getting a massive upgrade.
The LHC is housed in a 27-kilometre tunnel beneath the French-Swiss border near Geneva and is the world’s largest and most complex scientific instrument. It smashes protons at almost the speed of light, recreating conditions a fraction of a second after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Geneva Internationals: When people collide at CERN, not particles
This content was published on
Meet Oday Darwich, a computer scientist who brings together researchers, industry and society to work on quantum computers.
This content was published on
“We have a discovery. We have observed a new particle consistent with the Higgs Boson – which one? That remains open,” Cern Director General Rolf Heuer told a seminar at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva on Wednesday. “This is indeed a new particle. We know it must be a boson and it’s…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.