Researchers working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) atom smasher located at the CERN nuclear research facility in Europe have a new Large Hadron Collider record as of a test done on May 20. The new Hadron Collider record comes after the accelerator had been off for two years for needed upgrades, according to the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
New Teraelectronvolts Record Set
The new Hadron Collider record was set when the accelerator was able to reach the energy level of 13 TeV or 13 teraelectronvolts of power for the very first time, thus breaking the previous record energy level or 8 TeV set in 2012. CERN’s goal is to reach an energy level of 14 TeV. Scientists are well on their way to accomplishing that goal as they continue the adventure of studying this thrilling machine and its accomplishments.
“God” Particle Found in 2012
The adventure of discovery had already set one new Hadron Collider record right before it went offline in 2012 by the discovery of the Higgs Bosun or God particle. The particle is believed to be the particle that makes up mass for all things, and what is behind the standard model for all of what makes up the physics of the universe. Because of this, the scientists in charge of the Large Hadron Collider were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 2013.
Success of Hadron Collider Record Powers Future Experiments
Since CERN has now been successful in setting a new Hadron Collider record, several new tests will be run as the adventure in physics continues. Three of these new experiments will start next month and will be done at the LHC facility. They include ALAS, ATLAS and CMS. The LHC is located in a tunnel underground near Geneva, Switzerland, that is 17 miles long, and considered the largest machine in the world. The scientists bombard billions of protons around at nearly the speed of light and then make them run into each other and when the resulting explosion occurs, the scientists study the results with their special detectors.
Discovering the Secrets of the Universe
The experiments are being done to see how matter particles bond to each other, and the researchers are trying to find what they call a new super particle. In the next few tests, one thing they are doing is calibrating and setting up what is called collimators to protect the LHC as it continues the adventure of trying to set a new Hadron Collider record.
