10 things to know about Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN

Large Hadron Collider (also referred as LHC) is a particle accelerator which has been in news for testing and discovery of the metaphorically known ‘The God particle’, the Higgs boson. Let’s know a few things out of many about the Large Hadron Collider in this mini article.

10) The Large Hadron Collider is the largest and highest-energy particle accelerator in the world.

9) It was built and advanced during 1998 to 2008, by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclelar Research).

8) The main aim behind the invention and processing of LHC was to understand and test the predictions made by different theories in particle physics. However, the most targeted aim was to know about the existence of a sub-atomic particle, Higgs boson.

7) The existence of LHC is a result of contributed efforts made by more than ten thousands scientists and hundreds of laboratories and universities played role in the contribution of Large Hardon Collider’s development.

6) It is situated in the border of France and Switzerland, in a pipeline-like tunnel which has a circumference of 17 mi. The 27 kilometers long tunnel is located nearly 574 feet below the ground surface of the Franco-Swiss border close to Geneva, Switzerland.

5) Two beams of either of protons or lead nuclei (also referred as 'Hadrons') are blasted into the pipeline-like tunnel from opposite ends to collide the beams with each-other. The observance and readings received from the collision helps the physicist to understand and test various sub-atomic particles including one referred as ‘The God Particle’.

4) The first successful circulation of beams took place in the main ring LHC, was shown on 18^th September, 2008.

3) On 21^st October, 2008, the official inauguration of Large Hadron Collider was done by CERN.

2) After its first successful collision, LHC had gone out of order due to a faulty electric connection that had led to several other problems in the LHC. It took over 14 months to in analyzing and using the Large Hadron Collider again.

1) Before the Large Hadron Collider, the Superconducting Collider was the largest hadron collider which was discontinued due to funding issues.

A super shocking to know and remind about LHC

In year 2010, a differently (or 'alienly'?) dressed man named 'Eloi Cole' had been found near the LHC by guards. After questioning, he said "The discovery of the Higgs boson led to limitless power, the elimination of poverty and Kit-Kats for everyone. It is a communist chocolate hellhole and I'm here to stop it from ever happening."

He also told that he is from a time (in future) where countries are no more existing, when asked about the country he came from. Later, if the news has be to believed, when he was sent to mental asylum, he just disappeared like a whoosh!

Now, it is on us to believe it or not. Personally, I do have doubt that he was telling the truth and his time travelling story is a big sign to us that we are on a path to discover and understand more about the Higgs boson. However, the message from the time-traveler leaves us in a question that we are on a path that has a destination, but how right are we going? Will the final discovery of Higgs boson and its working patterns lead the world or us to an end? 

[Recently, the scientists and physicists working on Large Hadron Collider have turned their focus to unfold the mystery of the Dark matter which fills the Universe or Space].