Physics Trip to CERN

9 Physics students from the Upper VI flew to Geneva to visit the 'Biggest Machine in the World'.  The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument being constructed by CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100m underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolutionise our understanding, from the miniscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe.  

The group were able to descend below ground to a cathedral sized cavern to see ATLAS, which is one of two general-purpose detectors in the LHC.  ATLAS is 46m long, 25m high and 25m wide and weighs 7000 tonnes.  It will investigate a wide range of physics, including the search for the Higgs boson, extra dimensions, and particles that could make up dark matter. 

We spent the afternoon with Michael Campbell (brother of Mr Stehen Campbell, Head of Mathematics at Merchiston) whose research group designed and implemented some of the detector technology for the LHC and is now using the same technology for Medical Physics.

The group also spent time in 'Microcosm', CERN's interactive science centre and found time to visit some of the sights of Geneva.