As CERN engineers begin testing full sections of their new systems, the high-luminous large hadron collider (HL-LHC), a massive upgrade to the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, is approaching reality.
Featuring cutting-edge components developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermilab, the project aims to charge particle collision experiments and unlock rare physical phenomena when they came online in the early 2030s.
With cutting-edge technologies from the US and Europe working together, the upgrade aims to provide another 10x more collision data, opening the door to discovery that can reconstruct our understanding of the universe.
Boost the world’s most powerful collider
High-luminous large hadron colliders increase the data collection capabilities of corridors by orders of magnitude, allowing scientists to explore more deeply into the fundamental laws of nature.
This performance leap down to innovative new magnets, cryogenic and beam-focused technology designed to pack more protons into tighter, higher energy beams.
However, before these components are installed in a 27-kilometer LHC tunnel, they must undergo an important “string test.”
This test is designed to allow all parts to work seamlessly under the extreme conditions of high energy physics.
String Test: HL-LHC Dress Rehearsal
The current phase of CERN replicates a section of collider located to the left of the Compact Mune Solenoid (CMS) experiment.
All magnets, power systems, and cooling units are connected and operated as they are in the final machine, but only on a small scale.
This test exceeds individual performance ratings. When linked as a single chain, it validates the collective behavior of the magnet and support system.
The engineers cool the entire section to 1.8 Kelvin (just 1.8 degrees above absolute zero) and power the incredible 17,300 amps, equivalent to a continuous bolt of lightning through the magnet.
Fermirab’s cutting edge contribution
The debut hardware features four cutting-edge quadrupole accelerator magnets built in Fermilab.
Each weighs 25 tons and incorporates a coil made from Niobium 3-Tin, a superconducting material that has never been used in an operating particle accelerator.
This innovation leaps from LHC’s existing niobium titanium magnets that produce up to 8 Tesla fields.
Niobium 3-Tin magnets can reach magnetic fields about 50% higher, allowing HL-LHC to compress twice the protons into smaller beam volumes. This is an important step to achieving high brightness.
The trade-off is complexity. Niobium 3-Tin is brittle and requires intense heat treatment to achieve superconductivity. Development of these magnets required decades of collaboration between the US and European scientists.
Decades of the Transatlantic Partnership
The origins of HL-LHC’s groundbreaking technology date back to the late 2000s, when a US team began experimenting with Niobium 3-Tin and CERN was still building the original collider.
Engineers on both sides of the Atlantic exchanged ideas on marathon video calls, often working on late-night and early-morning schedules to improve the design.
This collaboration was so close that the magnets contain highly compatible coils by Fermilab and cern, a testament to harmonious engineering efforts.
Final check before installation
Now that the magnets are connected, CERN engineers are pressure testing the system before starting cryogenic cooling.
Once the chain reaches operating temperature, they increase the current to full strength and verify the ability of the magnet to operate continuously under extreme conditions.
Passing this test clears the method of installing the HL-LHC magnet around the collision point, marking the final stretch towards the stronger LHC.
When operated in the early 2030s, the upgraded collider dramatically expands humanity’s ability to explore the subatomic world, pushing physics boundaries into unknown territory.
Source link
