Posted
on September 10, 2016
The
largest science experiment in history –and the largest machine ever
built – powered up for the first time on this date in 2008!
Unfortunately,
testing had to be delayed for 14 months because of what is called a
“magnet quench” event.
You
see, an electromagnet is a kind of magnet in which a magnetic field
is created by an electric current. It's a very useful sort of magnet,
because of course the magnetic force can be turned on and off with a
switch!
And
a superconducting magnet is an electromagnet made from coils of
superconducting wire.
Now,
a magnet quench happens when part of the superconducting coil shuts
off because the magnetic field is too large (usually), and there is
heat, sometimes high voltages, or other disastrous effects that can
damage machinery and electronics.
When that happened to the Large Hadron Collider in 2008, some of the superconducting magnets were damaged and had to be replaced.
When that happened to the Large Hadron Collider in 2008, some of the superconducting magnets were damaged and had to be replaced.
Okay...but
what IS the Large Hadron Collider?
Aside
from being the largest, most complex experimental facility ever
built, and the largest machine in the world, the Large Hadron
Collider is also the world's most powerful particle collider.
Ten
THOUSAND scientists and engineers from over 100 countries
collaborated on the design and construction of the machine, which
lies in a circular tunnel 17 miles (27 km) in circumference beneath
the border between France and Switzerland.
 |
| It's all about creating and detecting debris from high-speed collisions of the very small... |
Like
other particle colliders, the LHC accelerates beams of particles so
that they run into one another, head-on, in high-speed collisions.
This is done in order to transform the particles into other
particles. It's all about understanding physics – what matter is
made of, the laws of nature, how matter can convert into energy, the
world of stuff smaller than atoms!
So
now that you understand the “large” and the “collider” parts
of the Large Hadron Collider, what about the “hadron” part?
Hadrons
are particles that are made up of other, smaller particles that are
held together by what physicists call the “strong force.”
Examples
of hadrons are protons and neutrons, which are made of three quarks
each. Some hadrons are made of only one quark; pions are an example.
Some exotic hadrons are made of more than three quarks.
 |
| Google helped to celebrate the LHC! |
- To learn more about particle physics and the Large Hadron Collider, check out The Particle Adventure!
- Watch Brian Cox explain a few aspects of the LHC.
- And here is Michio Kaku explaining why the largest machine ever built by humans is just a “pea shooter” compared to Mother Nature's universe!
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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