[Interactions News Wire] #21-08 - CERN opens its doors to the world

Interactions News Wire #21-08
18 March 2008 http://www.interactions.org
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Source: CERN
Content: Press Release
Date Issued: 18 March 2008
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CERN opens its doors to the world

On 6 April 2008, CERN(1) will open its doors to the public, offering a
unique chance to visit its newest and largest particle accelerator, the
Large Hadron Collider (LHC), before it goes into operation later this
year. This scientific instrument, the largest and most complex in the
world, is installed in a 27km tunnel, 100 metres underground in the
Swiss canton of Geneva and neighbouring France. CERN will open all
access points around the ring for visits underground, to the tunnel and
the experiment caverns. On the surface, a wide-ranging programme will be
on offer, allowing people to learn about the physics for which this huge
instrument is being installed, the technology underlying it, and
applications in other fields.

In the LHC, particles such as protons or heavy ions will be accelerated
to close to the speed of light in two tubes. At four intersection points
the particles will collide at an energy never before reached in a
particle accelerator to study new areas of physics that so far have not
been accessible. Experiments at the LHC expect to be able to answer a
number of fundamental questions, such as the origin of mass or the
nature of the so-called "dark matter". However, since the LHC will
explore a new energy range, there will also be unexpected results,
resulting in new questions and new physics.

On the Open Day, many visitors to CERN will be able to descend and see
the LHC and its big experiments, ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb in place in
their underground caverns. However, since access to the underground
areas is limited due to the capacity of the elevators and safety
concerns, a range of activities is also planned on the surface where
visitors will be able to learn about particle physics and talk to CERN
engineers and physicists.

A central theme apart from the LHC, its magnets and experiments, will be
superconductivity, the principle on which the operation of the LHC is
based. At the heart of the LHC magnets lie 7000 kilometres of
superconducting cables, cooled to a temperature close to absolute zero,
which are able to conduct electricity without resistance. Spectacular
experiments, exhibitions and films will introduce the public to this
exciting phenomenon, visitors will be able to meet physicists to "ask an
expert" and there will be the chance for an encounter with two Nobel
laureates who will give lectures about their prize-winning discoveries.

The fun and excitement of physics will be demonstrated in the Globe of
Science and Innovation and physics shows taking place at various venues
around the ring. Children will be able to meet up with the presenter of
a popular French TV show on his tour through eight communes close to the
LHC access points or take part in a "magical physics" show.

More details on the programme and additional information can be found on
the CERN website at www.cern.ch/lhc2008.

Notes to the editor:
A Press Welcome point will be set up in the Globe of Science and
Innovation (http://outreach.web.cern.ch/outreach/en/Globe/Globe-en.html)
in front of the CERN Meyrin main site.

Contact:
CERN Press Office
Tels: + 41 22 76 72141 / 73432 ?
Email: press.office@cern.ch
http://www.cern.ch/press/Welcome.html

1) CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the world's
leading laboratory for particle physics. It has its headquarters in
Geneva. At present, its Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom. India, Israel, Japan, the Russian
Federation, the United States of America, Turkey, the European
Commission and UNESCO have Observer status.

2) Main sponsors for the LHC2008 Open Day are: Air Liquide, Alstom, ASG,
Babcock Noell, CECOM, Force10 networks, Intel, Linde Kryotechnik,
Luvata, Oracle, SAS Gerome Gerbier, Sun Microsystems, Transtec computer
AG, UBS, Western Digital.

3) Le Temps, Radio Lac and World Radio Switzerland are media partners of
the LHC2008 Open Day.

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