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The present LHC schedule has first collisions scheduled for Thursday.
See Cosmic VarianceVanadium 50 said:Quench in sector 3-4 today. That will delay collisions a few more days minimum.
jimmysnyder said:It looks like the Earth has been spared for another 2 weeks.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26802846"
I fat fingered the 'weeks' key. This is bad news. It means I'll have to meet my deadlines after all.George Jones said:CNN says at least another two months,
jimmysnyder said:I fat fingered the 'weeks' key. This is bad news. It means I'll have to meet my deadlines after all.
Robert Aymar said:Incident in LHC sector 34
Dear Colleagues,
During commissioning (without beam) of the final LHC sector (sector 34) at high current for operation at 5 TeV, an incident occurred at mid-day on Friday 19 September resulting in a large helium leak into the tunnel. Preliminary investigations indicate that the most likely cause of the problem was a faulty electrical connection between two magnets which probably melted at high current leading to mechanical failure. CERN's strict safety regulations ensured that at no time was there any risk to people.
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 for the LHC operation. For the same fault, not uncommon in a normally conducting machine, the repair time would be a matter of days.
Further details will be made available as soon as they are known.
Do you know if the quench and the helium leak are related? Do you have any more detail on the helium leak? Sounds like the helium actually came out through the vacuum jacket somehow and got into the tunnel.Vanadium 50 said:Quench in sector 3-4 today. That will delay collisions a few more days minimum.
New official statement just came out (Tuesday)Vanadium 50 said:Here is the official statement:
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The long-term schedule implications are not obvious...
The LHC is a large particle accelerator located at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. It is the most powerful and largest machine ever built, with a circumference of 27 kilometers (17 miles).
The LHC First Collisions refer to the first time that particles will be collided inside the LHC at its highest energy level. This is an important milestone in particle physics as it allows scientists to study the behavior of particles at higher energies than ever before.
The LHC allows scientists to study the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces that govern them. It also helps to answer some of the biggest questions in physics, such as the origin of mass and the existence of dark matter.
The LHC First Collisions are expected to produce a large amount of data that will be analyzed by scientists to search for new particles and interactions. It could also potentially lead to the discovery of new physics beyond the Standard Model.
No, the LHC has been designed with multiple safety features in place to prevent any potential risks. Any potential hazards have been thoroughly assessed and deemed to be extremely unlikely.