The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s biggest science experiment. It is arguably the world’s largest apparatus: the biggest machine in the world. The collider was built to discover the secrets of the universe. Wikipedia succinctly describes its purpose:
The LHC’s aim is to allow physicists to test the predictions of different theories of particle physics, high-energy physics and in particular, to further test the properties of the Higgs boson and the large family of new particles predicted by supersymmetric theories, and other unsolved questions of physics, advancing human understanding of physical laws.
The collider accomplishes this by directing two beans of high energy particles moving nearly the speed of light into each other. The round tunnel track of the collider is 27 kilometers (16 miles) in length.
Until March 2016, the LHC had been offline for a year as an army of technicians laboriously calibrated, cleansed, tested, and otherwise fixed every part of the vast array.
I mention all of this, because 5 hours ago, the collider went offline after a weasel wondered into it and was vaporized, thus knocking the whole apparatus offline.
This setback serves as a reminder that sometimes science is a particularly painstaking pursuit. The hardworking particle physicists and engineers of CERN are going to have to undertake some repairs after this unfortunate mustelid incursion. I also mention this as a reminder that the weasel family is a formidable and amazing family of organisms which I should write about more often (although at least I took some time to describe the giant otter). Look for another amazing mustelid featured here on Ferrebeekeeper next week (although we will have to wait a while for new discoveries from the world of high-energy physics).
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10 comments
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May 2, 2016 at 10:50 PM
TheGirlWhoWasThursday
did the weasel mutate into a superhero, i wonder?
May 3, 2016 at 1:44 PM
Wayne
It would explain a lot if we have an all-powerful gamma-weasel running around poking his sharp green glowing nose into the affairs of the world.
May 5, 2016 at 7:46 PM
Neomys Sapiens
The damage should be limited: AFAIK it was a 60kV transformer substation, not a part of the collider proper. As this is probably made of commercial components, repair can be achieved in 1..2 month.
May 6, 2016 at 12:12 PM
Wayne
Wow thanks for the providing the specific technical details, Neomys! I am glad that it should be a straightforward fix. Are you perchance an engineer?
May 10, 2016 at 6:46 PM
Neomys Sapiens
‘Err….what? Engineer? Me?’ (Sound of minor Explosion and crackling Noise/blue flicker from neighboring room) ‘What made you think that?’
Do you perchance remember any of my previous comments?
May 12, 2016 at 5:03 PM
Wayne
Heeheehee! You mad-scientist-types are the best. I will have to up the quality of my technical writing (and hit you up for details on how to build a Venusian space colony).
May 10, 2016 at 6:51 PM
Neomys Sapiens
And indeed, among my achievements is the instrumentation, control and electrical integration of a small toroidal accellerator for industrial purposes…that was REAL FUN back in about ’94!
May 12, 2016 at 5:00 PM
Wayne
Whoah! Awesome! I can’t believe you got to smash your way down into the fundamental matrix of the universe…for profit! My job involves ordering envelopes and writing pointless emails.
June 2, 2016 at 5:31 PM
Wayne
I love toruses! But I can hardly imagine an industrial particle accelerator…What were you all making?
May 10, 2016 at 6:54 PM
Neomys Sapiens
I didn’t get to accellerate a mustelid, though. But I know the smell.