CERN Particle Accelerators: Global Infrastructure and LHC
An overview of global particle accelerator infrastructure, CERN history, Large Hadron Collider (LHC) detectors, and the 2017 technical upgrades.
Particle Accelerators: Beyond the Front Line of Physics
A Deep Dive into CERN, Global Infrastructure, and the 2017 Operational Evolution
Global Accelerator Infrastructure
30,000 - 50,000
Particle Accelerators Worldwide
~33%
Cancer Therapy
~33%
Ion Implantation
<1%
High-Energy Research
Major Regions
North America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Middle East & Africa
Latin America
CERN: A LEGACY OF SCALING
From the first Synchrocyclotron to the Large Hadron Collider
Synchrocyclotron
Proton Synchrotron (PS)
Super Proton Synchrotron
Large Electron-Positron (LEP)
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
The Detectors: Eyes on the Invisible
Eight massive experiments at the LHC operate as colossal microscopes, each designed to capture specific particle traces in the hunt for new physics.
CMS features components weighing over 2,000 tons
The 2017 Operational Pivot
Technical Stop & Performance Surge
17-Week Infrastructure Upgrade
Replaced critical superconducting magnets and installed a new SPS beam dump during the extended winter technical stop.
April 2017 Restart
Successful re-commissioning of the ring, paving the way for 2x design luminosity performance by year-end.
2x
Design Luminosity
45 fb⁻¹
Year-End Target
- particle-physics
- cern
- lhc
- accelerator-infrastructure
- science
- scientific-research
- physics