Lots of ink, but not like last time: Large Hadron Collider set to rev up again
It’s happened before and it’s happening again – at the CERN laboratory in catacombs carved ‘neath the French-Swiss border, the Large Hadron Collider is on the short countdown toward loading up on protons and antiprotons and smashing them into one another at relativistic velocity. It could be underway within a day or so.
We all know, in general terms, of the accidents, equipment failures, and difficult repairs that forced previous efforts to a long halt. One place to start for a more detailed reminder, and a relaxed overview, is in the Wall St. Journal and Robert Lee Hotz‘s perspective essay. His theme is that this project is huge and ushers to a new level Big Science (born long ago in such labs as the Cavendish in the UK and UC Berkeley Radiation Laboratory under Lawrence) that is now pervading all realms of science. Armies of researchers working together are a new norm in many disciplines. Thus, the LHC illustrates a trend.
We’ve been through the specific exercise with the LHC, and reporters are so over their initial dazzlement upon visiting and seeing the stupendous scale of this enterprise and its brobignagian instruments, that the tone of copy we’re now getting is welcome for not being quite so overheated.
Onward. Other Stories:
- NYTimes – Dennis Overbye: Large Hadron Collider to Restart ; After a gimmick lede referring to champagne on ice, Overbye’s story gets serious by declaring, “With little fanfare this time around….”
- And just to show that some people don’t know when a joke has gotten old but get away with it anyway, here in the UK‘s The Register is Lewis Page‘s LHC dimensional apocalypse from midnight: YOur thoughts ; He reminds readers it could (fat chance) wreak havoc on the universe and selects a few comments that help one reflect on that most unlikely event. It’s all in all a clever, tongue–in-cheek reminiscence on “the splendidly comical global hysteria” of the last time around.
- Here’s his news story – Register – Lewis Page: LHC starts beaming Saturday: Collisions Dec 3 ;
- A less-witty, serious meditation on fringe nonsense is at The Guardian – Euclides Montes: Fear and the Large Hadron Collider ;
- Sydney Morning Herald – Deborah Smith: Atom smasher back on collision course with history ;
- Times (UK) Mark Henderson: Large Hadron Collider to be started up after fault forced year-long closure ;
- Reuters – Jonathan Lynn via ABC : CERN Restarts Big Bang Collider for Biggest Test Yet ;
Grist for the Mill: CERN Press Backgrounder ; LHC Homepage ;
Pic – lots of such animations at LHC site, here.
- Charlie Petit
