the plug has been pulled on the atom smasher/big bang theory

[cassiusclay]

Particle Collider Fix To Take Months

Reuters
posted: 1 HOUR 46 MINUTES AGO
LONDON (Sept. 20) - The huge particle-smashing machine built to simulate the conditions of the "Big Bang" that recreated the universe has malfunctioned and may be shut down for at least two months, the European Organization for Nuclear Research said on Saturday.


An incident on Friday resulted in a large helium leak into the tunnel. Preliminary investigations indicate the most likely cause of the problem was a faulty electrical connection between two magnets, the organization said in a statement.



"Strict safety regulations ensured that at no time was there any risk to people," it said.
"A full investigation is underway but it is already clear that the sector will have to be warmed up for repairs to take place. This implies a minimum of two months down time."
Earlier this month international scientists celebrated the successful start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) machine located in the tunnel on the Swiss-French border.
The biggest and most complex machine ever made, it aims to simulate the "Big Bang" conditions. Experiments using it could revamp modern physics and unlock secrets about the universe and its origins.
When the LHC starts up at full speed, it will be able to engineer 600 million collisions every second, with protons traveling at 99.99 percent of the speed of light around its 17-mile underground chamber.
The project has had to work hard to deny suggestions by some critics that the experiment could create tiny black holes of intense gravity that could suck in the whole planet.
Scientists halted the particle beam's counter-clockwise spin temporarily before the successful start-up when problems with the machine's magnets caused its temperature to warm slightly.
CERN officials said minor glitches were to be expected given the intricacy of the $9 billion machine, which is cooled to minus 456.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Dirty]

Glad to see we all fell down the huge black hole it created