The First Beam Around the LHC
On September 10, 2008, a beam of particles completed a journey around a huge underground ring near Geneva, Switzerland. The particles were too small to see, but their trip marked a major step for the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC. For the first time, a beam had circulated through the entire machine.
The event was not the LHC’s first particle collision. It was a test of whether the accelerator could guide a beam all the way around its ring. Before scientists could use the machine for its planned experiments, they needed to know that its many parts could work together.
A laboratory with a longer history
The LHC is operated by CERN, a European laboratory where scientists study the basic building blocks of matter. CERN’s history began well before the LHC existed. The convention establishing the organization entered into force on September 29, 1954. The first beam circulated in the LHC almost 54 years later, on September 10, 2008. The two dates mark different events: the founding of the organization and a milestone for one of its machines.
Researchers from many countries work at CERN. Their collaboration allows them to build and operate equipment far larger and more complicated than a single laboratory could easily manage alone. The LHC itself sits in a circular tunnel beneath the French-Swiss border.
- convention:
- A formal agreement among countries or groups.
- milestone:
- An important event marking progress.
- collaboration:
- The act of working together toward a shared goal.
- circumference:
- The distance around a circle or ring.
- accelerate:
- To increase speed or give particles more energy.
- resistance:
- Opposition to the flow of electric current.
- maintained:
- Kept in working condition through regular care.
- predictions:
- Statements about what is expected to happen based on an idea or model.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why was the first beam's trip around the LHC an important step even though it did not produce a collision?
- 2Why does the author distinguish CERN's founding date from the date of the first LHC beam?
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About this explanatory article passage for Middle School
“The First Beam Around the LHC” is a explanatory article reading passage about Particle accelerators, written for Middle School. It takes about 5 minutes to read (800 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.