The LHC is Upgraded to Achieve Higher Luminosity
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN has begun an extensive technical shutdown period that will last until 2029. This pause does not mean stopping research, but marks the beginning of an ambitious transformation: the installation of the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The central objective is to drastically increase the accelerator's luminosity, a key factor that determines how many particle collisions can occur. By enhancing this parameter, detectors will be able to record an unprecedented volume of events, allowing scientists to analyze extremely rare physical phenomena with unprecedented precision 🔬.
Technical Transformation to Multiply Data
To achieve this quantitative leap, the HL-LHC project requires replacing and upgrading critical components along the 27-kilometer underground ring. More powerful superconducting magnets will be installed, cryogenic systems will be upgraded, and collimation elements will be optimized. A fundamental technological change is the adoption of magnets made with niobium-tin. This composite material can generate more intense magnetic fields, which is essential for focusing proton beams with greater precision and compressing them at interaction points. Additionally, the entire vacuum infrastructure and protection systems will be reinforced to withstand the more demanding operating conditions of the new era.
Main Interventions in the Accelerator:- Replace conventional superconducting magnets with niobium-tin ones to achieve stronger magnetic fields.
- Improve cryogenic systems that maintain the ultra-low temperatures necessary for superconductivity.
- Optimize collimators, devices that clean particle beams, to handle higher intensities.
The pause is a necessary step for the world's most complex machine to explore uncharted territories of reality.
The Major Experiments Are Also Renewed
While technicians work in the tunnel, the four main experiments (ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb) undergo profound renovations. Their detectors receive new electronics, faster and more radiation-resistant, and updated data readout systems. The scientific community calculates that when the HL-LHC begins operating, the amount of accumulated data will multiply by ten compared to the previous phase. This torrent of information will open the door to measuring the properties of the Higgs boson with extreme precision and searching for new physics beyond the Standard Model.
Key Scientific Objectives with the HL-LHC:- Characterize the Higgs boson and its interactions in unprecedented detail.
- Search for evidence of particles candidate to constitute dark matter.
- Explore the possible existence of extra dimensions or new symmetry in particles.
A Horizon of Discoveries
This prolonged pause is, therefore, a period of intense preparatory activity. While the collider rests, theoretical and analysis physicists have ahead the task of processing the vast amount of data already collected in previous phases, ensuring there will be no time for lethargy in the laboratories. The HL-LHC is not just an upgrade; it is the gateway to a new frontier of knowledge, where each collision could hide the answer to fundamental questions about the structure of the universe 🌌.