[quote="The Times Online"]The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be started up tonight for the first time since a catastrophic fault forced it to be shut down for more than a year.
Engineers at the Cern particle physics laboratory plan to begin injecting protons into the world’s most powerful atom-smasher at around 4pm GMT after the “big bang machine” was formally handed over to its operations team.
A first beam of particles should be circulating one way around the LHC’s 27km (17-mile) ring by Saturday, and the second beam travelling in the opposite direction should be captured soon afterwards. [/quote]
[url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/physics/article6923089.ece]Source[/url]
Hopefully it won't be damaged by somebody's sandwich this time.
New Scientist also posted an interesting article about the future of CERN and the search for the illusive time-mashing Higgs Boson particle.
[quote="New Scientist"]The Large Hadron Collider is by no means the last of the particle smashers. A group at CERN recently explored the various scenarios that might emerge from the atomic debris in Geneva – and how they would shape what colliders we build next. We draw out the key points about each of the scenarios.
Detect a Higgs
What will detecting a Higgs boson mean?
If the characteristics of the Higgs fit with the predictions of the standard model of particle physics, it should be found within three years. The discovery would confirm that a Higgs "field" permeates the universe, lending all other particles their mass. If it is a Higgs that does not conform to the standard model, it may turn up even earlier, because it would likely be lighter and so more commonly produced in collisions than heavier particles.
What next?
The Super LHC will have more collisions per second and be more accurate than the LHC, and would be able to start to explore the properties of a Higgs. Its high energy would be especially useful if the Higgs turns out to be heavy, though a linear collider would be more precise. The Compact Linear Collider would have an advantage over the International Linear Collider with its higher collision energy.
No Higgs
What will failing to detect a Higgs mean?
If no Higgs is detected after three years of the LHC running at full energy, then this points to a more complicated Higgs field. It could be because the Higgs decays to known particles that are difficult to detect at the LHC or it decays to invisible particles - ones that don't interact with the detector.
Failure could also be a sign of a non-standard model Higgs - which would mean it could be lighter or heavier than expected and thus harder to find. Or it could indicate a more exotic Higgs field - perhaps with several different Higgs bosons interacting in a way not yet fully understood.
What next?
Other mechanisms for endowing particles with mass will be seriously considered. For example, when two W bosons collide, they are thought to produce a Higgs. If no Higgs exists, however, whatever else is produced by W boson scattering would be the obvious next place to look for what endows matter with mass. The process could be examined extensively with the Super LHC.
No detection at the LHC could be bad news for the International Linear Collider, because it has a lower energy than the LHC and so couldn't look for a potentially heavy Higgs. The Compact Linear Collider would be the better option.[/quote]
Read more about it [url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427354.900-future-colliders-beyond-the-lhc.html]here[/url].
Smashing. :science:
With my Brains and your Brawn, we'll make an excellent team.
Weren't you suppose to be in the test chamber half an hour ago?
They're waiting for you Gordon; in the test chamber.
They're waiting for you gordon...
In the [i][b]Test Chamber[/i][/b]
Argh fuck ninjad.
Looks like you're in the barrel today gordon!
Sorry gordon I cannot let you in without your hazard suit.
If this gets activated and I see one god damn headhumper...
For God's sake, open the silo door! They're coming for us, it's our only way out!
Oh my God, we're doomed!
[b]blargh[/b]
Good god, you guys are having a field day with this one.
It's not! It's not shutting down!
Good morning, and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System. This automated train is provided for the security and convenience of the Black Mesa Research Facility personnel. The time is eight-forty seven A.M... Current outside temperature is ninety three degrees with an estimated high of one hundred and five. The Black Mesa compound is maintained at a pleasant sixty-eight degrees at all times. This train is inbound from Level Three dormitories to Sector C Test Labs and Control Facilities. If your intended destination is a high security area beyond Sector C, you will need to return to the Central Transit hub in Area Nine and board a high security train. If you have not yet submitted your identity to the retinal clearance system, you must report to Black Mesa personel for processing before you will be permitted into the high security branch of the transit system. Due to the high toxicity of material routinely handled in the Black Mesa compound, no smoking, eating, or drinking are permitted within the Black Mesa Transit System. Please keep you limbs inside the train at all times. Do not attempt to open the doors until the train has come to a complete halt at the station platform. In the event of an emergency, passengers are to remain seated and await further instruction. If it is necessary to exit the train, disabled personnel should be evacuated first. Please, stay away from electrified rails, and proceed to an emergency station until assistance arrives. A reminder that the Black Mesa Hazard Course decathlon will commence this evening at 1900 hours in the Level Three facility. The semi-finals for high security personnel will be announced in a separate secure access transmission. Remember, more lives than your own may depend on your fitness. Do you have a friend or relative who make a valuable addition to the Black Mesa team? Immediate openings are available in the areas of "Materials Handling" and "Low Clearance Security." Please contact Black Mesa personnel for further information. If you have an associate with a background in the areas of "Theoretical Physics," "Biotechnology," or other high-tech disciplines, please contact our civilian recruitment division. The Black Mesa Research Facility is an equal-opportunity employer. A reminder to all Black Mesa personnel: Regular radiation and biohazard screenings are a requirement of continued employment in the Black Mesa Research Facility. Missing a scheduled urinalisys or radiation check-up is grounds for immediate termination. If you feel you have been exposed to radioactive or other hazardous materials in the course of your duties, contact your radiation safety officer immediately. Work safe, work smart. Your future depends on it. Now arriving at Sector C Test Labs and Control Facilities. Please stand back from the automated door and wait for the security officer to verify your identity. Before exiting the train, be sure to check your area for personal belongings. Thank you, and have a very safe, and productive day.
I will see you up ahead.
Hurf durf I'm funny and original I'm going to wank off to half life cos there's coincidences hurf durf !1
Yeah that's right you fuckers get butthurt over the fact that you're not mature enough to not relate everything to games.
FIRE
IN
THEHOLE
caps
[QUOTE=markg06;18470983]Hurf durf I'm funny and original I'm going to wank off to half life cos there's coincidences hurf durf !1[/QUOTE]
Not Coincidences, more like Unforeseen Consequences.
[b][i]Stage 2 emitters activating now[/i][/b]
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