First beam 2008

September 10th was an international day of celebration, as the largest physics experiment ever attempted, the LHC, passed its first beam around the massive 27 kilometer track 100 meters below the Swiss-French countryside at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC is a physics experiment 15 years in the making which will accelerate small particles called protons to the highest energies ever produced in a lab, and smash them together at high speed to emulate the conditions of the universe moments before the big bang.

The hope is that these extreme conditions will shed some light into an area previously invisible to physicists, and fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle as to why the universe works the way it does. It is not clear what the LHC will discover as physicists search for new physics at ATLAS, but the success of the first beam on September 10th marked the beginning of a very exciting time for everyone involved with the project.

For more information about the LHC start-up, please visit the following links:

• Learn more about the LHC start-up
• LHC Homepage
• "All in a day" interview with Dr. Gerald Oakham
• "As it happens" interview with Dr. Manuella Vincter