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Key collider facts
Evening Standard09.09.08
• The Large Hadron Collider is the biggest machine ever built. Its circumference of 26,659 metres (16 miles, 994 yards) makes it longer than the 14-mile Circle line. It straddles Switzerland and France.
• When the 27km long circular tunnel at CERN was excavated, between Lake Geneva and the Jura mountain range, the two ends met up with just one centimetre of error.
• The tunnel has its own fire brigade. They are trained in abseiling techniques as well as dealing with chemical and radiation hazards.
• At full power, trillions of protons will race around the LHC accelerator ring 11,245 times a second, travelling at 99.999 per cent of the speed of light. Six hundred million collisions will take place every second as the protons smash into each other.
• When two beams of protons collide, they will generate temperatures more than 100,000 times hotter than the heart of the sun.
• At the centre of the accelerator is a vacuum as empty as interplanetary space in which the proton beams travel. The internal pressure of the LHC is 10-13 atm, 10 times less than the pressure on the moon.
• Movement is governed by 9,300 ultra-powerful magnets which work at temperatures so cold no life could exist. They are precooled to minus 193.2C using 10,080 tonnes of liquid nitrogen, before they are filled with nearly 60 tonnes of liquid helium to bring them down to minus 271.3C.
• Each proton moves at such speed that it contains the equivalent energy of a family car travelling at 1,056mph.
• The collisions are designed to produce particles whose existence has so far only been theorised about, including the Higgs boson, the main focus of its search, which was first postulated in 1964 and has been dubbed the "God particle".
• Other products of the collisions could include extra dimensions, "strangelets", which may or may not exist, and micro black holes, the objects at the centre of fears the accelerator could end the world.
• The accelerator is powered by a vast amount of electricity, with the magnets connected by superconductors. The cable they use would stretch round the equator 6.8 times.
• The data recorded by each of the big experiments at the LHC will fill 100,000 DVDs every year.
• CERN, which runs the accelerator, estimates that one per cent of data recorded will be useful.
• A special Radio 4 episode of Dr Who spin-off Torchwood is being produced by the BBC to mark the LHC's switch-on.
Reader views (17)
Given that so many religious people already ignore rudimentary science in favor of their bronze age myths, I can't see the discovery of the Higgs boson particle bringing all religion to a grinding halt.
It would be a nice start, but the bottom line is that most people will believe what they want to believe despite whatever proof to the contrary that you offer them.
- Warhorse, Mission, KS USA
If this so called "God Particle" exists and is indeed formed, humanity and in particular, religion will come to a stunned halt. Every culture on the planet with relgious believs, has tales of divine beings creating the planet, could science really shatter centuries of worship and religion with one, single experiment? If so, does humanity really want to know about it?
- Jean Pierre Lombard, South Africa, Pretoria
This will be the next step towards proving a God does not exist! The origin of the universe will eventually be postulated in a manner to leave little doubt that energy can be morphed to matter. It is already accepted that we have evolved from matter. A remaining hurdle is accepting that nothingness is defined as a plasma of energy or another RATIONAL OR PROVEN explanation. Our present barbaric beliefs will eventually be overcome with the presence of factual knowledge. It is interesting and ironic that they are searching for a "GOD Particle".
- Ron Cole, Canton, USA
Give the dozen or so ways the human species is already drowning itself, a runaway black hole would be blessedly quick.
- Jeff, Springfield, WV, USA
If it ends up wiping out the earth...do I really need to worry about my will??
- Jeff, North Augusta, SC, USA
this sounds like the plot for an episode of torchwood, not reality. i think they will all say it's one big prank tomorrow. but no, sad reality.
- Peggy, portland, oregon, usa
Phil: If the world may be destroyed tomorrow what would making a will benefit anyone 
- Doug Thompson, Roanoke, Virginia USA
"Six hundred million collisions will take place every second"
"temperatures more than 100,000 times hotter than the heart of the sun"
"The collisions are designed to produce particles whose existence has so far only been theorised about"
The bounty of human arrogance is astounding.
- Ray, Los Angeles, CA
Would love to see a clock like they had at the initial Maned Space Flights. Remember? T minus 2 hours and counting?
- Richard Eger, Hernando, Florida USA
A will will be worthless. We're all going do together baby!
- Rick, Charleston, SC
This is exactly how our sister planet Dexla met its fate so many years ago. Mankind in that dimension flipped the switch of their "super" conductor on such a date. The only thing that was super about the experiment was their subsequent implosion into oblivion. Good-Bye cruel world!
- Trinital Devi, Somewhere, USA
If you think that you need a will because of this thing who do you think will read it?
- Doug, Acworth, GA USA
A will would not serve much point if civilization, or the universe, ceased to exist in its current form. What exactly would you be leaving? And to whom? Is interesting they elected to build this in what appears to be a heavily populated area, at the center of France's population. It would seem that, not knowing exactly what might happen, a more remote location at least would have made more sense. Guess we'll see tomorrow (or not see, I suppose, if none of us are left to see). Seems like a story out of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- Jeff, Los Angeles, CA
I'm not the least bit worried about the supercollider blowing up the world, etc - because this world is not going to end until GOD ends it (and He doesn't require our help to do so!)
But France and Switzerland might lose a sizable chunk of real estate...
Just because you can doesn't mean you SHOULD.
- Dee, USA
Phil - if a black hole does develop what would be the point of a will?
- Arbitrageur, San Francisco, CA
The fact that Torchwood is having a special to mark the switch on just makes me laugh!
- Kristin, Omaha, NE, USA
Re the black-hole fears, those of you who haven't made out a will should do so today. It may well be too late tomorrow.
- Phil Jones, London UK
