Supercollider back in action
![collider[1]](http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/collider1-300x175.jpg "collider[1]")
Scientists have repaired the world’s largest atom smasher
This week, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, has successfully restarted the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider (LHC) after a year of its being out of commission.
The LHC is the world’s highest-energy particle collider, which accelerates protons around a 16-mile underground tube and smashes them together. The purpose is to record the subatomic debris from the collisions so that researchers can piece together what happens when the protons collide. with contributions from many governments and universities around the world.
When the Hadron was initially started, it ran for nine days before an electrical splice overheated due to faulty soldering. As a result, 53 of the collider’s 1,624 large superconducting magnets—some of them 50 feet long—were damaged and had to be replaced.
Additionally, an electric arc punctured a container holding liquid helium used to keep the collider at a temperature colder than outer space for maximum efficiency. Several tons of helium leaked out, causing additional damage.
Tags: CERN, helium, supercollider
