CERN in a nutshell

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Staff Members: 2645 is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres Other CERN contracts: 907 for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, Expenditure (kCHF): 1 255 762 finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter—the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of ��������������������������������Nature.

CERN accelerator complex CMS

LHC 2007 (27 km) North Area ALICE LHCb

p TT40 TT41 SPS 1976 (7 km) TI8 neutrinos TI2 TT10 ATLAS CNGS 2006 TT60 Gran Sasso AD 1999 (182 m) TT2 BOOSTER 1972 (157 m) ISOLDE p 1989 p East Area

n-ToF PS 2001 p 1959 (628 m) LINAC 2 CTF3 neutrons e– Leir LINAC 3 Ions 2005 (78 m)

4 p (proton) 4 ion 4 neutrons 4 –p (antiproton) 44 proton/antiproton conversion 4 neutrinos 4 electron

LHC Large Hadron Collider SPS Super Proton Synchrotron PS Proton Synchrotron CERN was founded in 1954 as one of ticipate in its research programme. collisions. The oldest still-function- AD Antiproton Decelerator CTF3 Clic Test Facility CNGS Cern Neutrinos to Gran Sasso ISOLDE Isotope Separator OnLine DEvice Europe’s first joint ventures,LEIR bringing Low Energy IonCERN Ring LINAC is now LINear a laboratory ACcelerator forn-ToF the Neutrons ing Timeaccelerator Of Flight at CERN is the Proton specialists from 12 Member States to- world. Synchrotron (PS), which came into gether to pursue a common dream. operation in 1959. The Super Proton Established on the Franco-Swiss The instruments used at CERN are Synchrotron (SPS), fed by the PS, was border near Geneva, it has become a particle accelerators and detectors. commissioned in 1976. The Large shining example of successful inter- Accelerators boost beams of parti- Electron–Positron collider (LEP), national collaboration. Today, CERN cles to high energies before they are built in a 27 km circular tunnel deep has 20 Member States from Europe, made to collide with each other or underground, was CERN’s flagship and additional nations from around with stationary targets. Detectors ob- research facility from 1989 to 2000. In the globe also contribute to and par- serve and record the results of these the same tunnel, the Large Hadron 10 CERN Member States Observer States Other States 4987 2053 467

Distribution of all CERN users by nation of institute

Collider (LHC)—the most powerful CERN’s international community ical imaging, particularly in the field particle accelerator in the world—is and its large collaborations provide of positron emission tomography now taking shape, ready to start up a valuable environment for educat- (PET). Computer chip manufacture in the near future. ing and training young people, not and the detection of contraband are only in particle physics, but also in among other fields to have benefited While CERN builds the accelerators, engineering of many kinds, infor- from technological advances first it is the job of physicists from univer- mation technology, and administra- made in fundamental particle phys- sities and research institutes in the tion. The Laboratory is a temporary ics research. Member States and other countries home for students from around the to build the detectors. As physics has world, whether pursuing work to- With the LHC, the CERN communi- advanced, detectors have become wards post-graduate qualifications ty is driving technology harder than bigger and more complex. The larg- or as participants in the renowned ever before. The data handling re- est of those in preparation for the summer student programme. CERN quirements of the LHC experiments, LHC stand as high as a five-storey also reaches out to a wider audience for example, require computing and office block and are being built by through activities for teachers and networking technology capable of teams of around 2000 scientists. Alto- schools and through Microcosm, its sorting through a mammoth 600 mil- gether, CERN’s research programme visitor centre. The landmark Globe lion individual particle collisions per involves some 8000 researchers from of Science and Innovation provides second. New benefits for society are over 500 institutes in 56 countries. a vibrant location for interactions be- as sure to follow, as are new insights tween science and society. into the workings of the Universe CERN also collaborates with other that are the physicists’ goal. European laboratories within the Research at CERN pushes technol- context of present and future proj- ogy to its limits, bringing important ects. These include Co-ordinated Ac- benefits to society. The World Wide celerator Research in Europe (CARE), Web was invented at CERN in re- European Design Study Towards sponse to the research community’s a Global TeV Linear Collider (EU- growing communications needs. De- ROTeV), European Nuclear Structure tectors developed for experiments Initiative (EURONS), and Enabling in high-energy physics have been Grids for E-SciencE (EGEE). transformed for applications in med-

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