Particle accelerator – CERN nuclear research institute opens new visitor center – News

  • The CERN nuclear research institute in Geneva opened a new visitor center in the presence of Federal President Alain Berset.
  • According to CERN, the Science Gateway is intended to arouse curiosity and promote critical thinking.

“May this portal to science become a place of gentle transition to a future-oriented career choice,” said Federal Councilor Alain Berset at the opening at Cern. Science is the key to a sustainable future, said Italian physicist and CERN General Director Fabiola Gianotti.

In the future, Cern will be able to welcome up to half a million visitors a year instead of 125,000. The building consists of oversized walk-in tubes that are connected to a glass bridge over a street. The tubes are reminiscent of the largest research machine in the world, which is located in the same place 100 meters underground: the 27 kilometer long ring-shaped particle accelerator with which Cern explores the universe.

The particle accelerator simulates the time shortly after the Big Bang – the birth of the universe almost 14 billion years ago. Researchers are looking for the fundamental laws of the universe. To do this, proton beams are brought into collision at practically the speed of light in order to observe decay processes.

Get an idea of ​​the dimensions of the particle accelerator

Materials and processes developed at CERN for experiments benefit the world. These include particularly powerful solar panels, touch screen technology and imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The World Wide Web was also invented there.

With dummies and visual effects, the enormous dimensions of the particle accelerator can be seen in the 8,000 square meter Science Gateway. In numerous places, visitors can lend a hand themselves, for example to explore the properties of magnets.

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