Howdy lovers,

Well, today’s the day!  The LHC people have decided, along with all the experimenters, that it’s time to collide some protons at 7 TeV.  Actually, the hoopla was originally scheduled to start this morning at 09h00 (CERN time).  That plan was amended several times, so that physicists I talked to all had different ideas of the actual start time for colliding the beams (I heard 03h00 at some point).  The initial attempts this morning to ramp the beam have both failed due to unforeseen errors in the quench protection system (QPS) and some other electronics, but they’re now saying they expect beam (and collisions!) to be ready around noon or 13h00.  So, that means that our early risers in the US might be privy to all the good shit.

For your viewing pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of links to various webcasts broadcasting the day’s activities:

• LHC First Physics Webcast (be sure to click around to the various webcams, at the bottom of the page)
• Our beloved OP Vistars (Page1 is often the most informative)
• CMS cameras: One Two Three
• ATLAS public page, home to a nice feed and some pretty pictures
• ATLAS event displays
• A pretty informative CERN Twitter feed
• The LHC Announcer (this dude talks to you about the LHC activities)

So, click away.  We’ll try to keep you updated, maybe copying some of the pretty photos of the day here for you to see.  Let us know if you find other interesting webcasts to link here, either by commenting or by e-mailing dipole@cernlove.org.

Happy collisions!

UPDATE: We have collisions!  At 13h22, the LHC people declared “STABLE BEAMS,” and we’ve been seeing 7 TeV collisions ever since.  The press release is here, and the champagne is everywhere.

About a week ago, the LHC was preparing itself for its inaugural 2010 current ramp to values consistent with 3.5 TeV energy proton beams.  While this was simply an opening act for the feature presentation (actual 3.5 TeV + 3.5 TeV collisions) next week, it certainly was an exciting and optimistic event celebrated widely at CERN and around the world.  Record energies were reached in the field of particle acceleration, and the timing was perfect considering the growing awareness of the 2010-2011 LHC physics programme.

One media outlet that decided to express its enthusiasm for the huge success of the LHC’s initial foray into the high energy realm was the British online newspaper The Telegraph.  Here is the article they published the day after the successful 3.5 TeV commissioning; really, things are pretty tame in this write-up — catchy headline, video of cute physicists, and lots of fervent anticipation for next week’s collision extravaganza.  However, when this article first appeared on the website of The Telegraph, their elation with the world record breaking energy ramp-up was much more apparent:

If that didn’t strike you as odd, have a look at that headline one more time.

Actually, this is quite a natural joke to be made, if you think about it.   I was surprised to find that, while ‘large hadron collider’ yields around 900k Google hits, ‘large hardon collider’ only finds 63.4k!  I can only hope that our fellow internet comrades will up the efforts to capitalize on this goldmine.  Sexual innuendos mix quite well with physics jargon.  How do you think the term hadron was derived in the first place?  I feel like we’re not far from hearing the phrases ‘beam dump’ and ‘that’s what she said’ used together quite regularly.

On the other hand, the top hit of that Google search surely sets the bar pretty high: http://largehardoncollider.com/

Some of our readers not plugged-in to the everyday scene of physics at the high energy frontier might be confused remembering that we promised you some bad-ass proton collision action somewhere around 14 February, which was over a month ago, and realizing that, indeed, the beloved 7 TeV data is still nowhere to be found.  In fact, the media has been so focused on the 1-year shutdown expected for the LHC in 2012 (and seriously, it’s not because of the Mayan calendar…) that no one has really posed the obvious question: “Umm, hey… wasn’t there supposed to be stuff happening already this year?”

Have no fear, friends.  Your friendly LHC scientists are simply making sure they are working with a well-oiled machine, and these kinds of delays are completely normal.  January and February were used for commissioning the machine at low current, and further developing the Quench Protection System (QPS); here’s a nice article by SymmetryBreaking giving some more information about the LHC’s QPS.  Having a robust protection against accidents such as the one in September 2008 is clearly a high priority.  Beam was re-introduced to the LHC a few weeks ago, and the progress is steadily imrpvoing, however carefully the technicians are working.

Tonight is a special night, however.  For the first time in 2010, we are witnessing the LHC dry-ramping* to the current which corresponds to a 3.5 TeV proton energy; this is the target energy for collisions in the 2010-2011 run.  Of course, live coverage is brought to you by OP Vistars.  In case you missed it, here’s a snapshot in the early stage of the ramp.

(*Dry-ramping implies the current in the magnets of the LHC are being ramped up, but that there is no proton beam circulating at the time.)

Kick the tires and light the fires.

We here at CERN Love are as giddy as schoolgirls about this.

One disgruntled physicist who sits in Building 40 is fed up.  Remind me to never leave my coffee dishes anywhere near this dude(ette).

Public spaces NOT to be used for dish storage.

If we're not testing the parameters of the standard model, we sure as hell are testing each other's patience...

But, I feel that one introductory phrase really exemplifies the problem associated with developing this flavor of vocabulary.  Let’s consider the expression, “In principle.”  From the Free Dictionary, “in principle” actually seems well defined:

in principle – with regard to fundamentals although not concerning details

Pretty clear, right?  “In principle” should probably be used to discuss more lofty or general ideas and situations, as opposed to everyday, common issues.  Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Don’t say this:

• In principle, the weather is nice today.
• In principle, I am hungry.
• In principle, I’d like you to plot the diphoton pT as well as the jet pT.
• In principle, we should go out sometime.

Say this:

• In principle, we expect two solutions to this equation.
• I agree with you, in principle.
• In principle, the distributions should be identical.
• In principle, I should find you attractive, but I actually don’t.

Okay, so, maybe don’t say that last one.  But, social graces are a whole other lesson that we should probably cover someday soon.

Today, this was the definition of the “ambience” in CERN’s Building 40.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was being sabotaged.

Hear the atmosphere which is so conducive to productive work at CERN.

Open-air Batiment 40

The LHC will employ the use of 1,232 dipole magnets, which are cooled to superconducting temperatures by liquid helium at 2 Kelvin and will provide magnetic fields as strong as 8.33 Tesla.  As one might imagine, these puppies are valuable.  To string two of them together, without interrupting the circuits through which currents as high as 11,850 Amps will flow, requires a highly sophisticated splice mechanism which must have a resistance of less than 0.000080 Ω for the machine to work properly.

Otherwise, this happens.

Of course, since CERN decided to display these magnificent beasts prominently (including one proudly and boldly showcased on the otherwise beautiful green lawn outside CERN’s Restaurant 1), they had to find a way to protect their valuable end-connections.  These are the blag end-plugs you see in this photo of the lawn dipole.

Well, I suppose CERN had a spare endcap.  I would never have been creative enough to devise this plan for its fate.

Another magnet cover-gone-planter.

It really ties the room together.

In my previous rant about taking shifts, I made a veiled criticism to the quality of coffee served in the nearby vending area.  After all, with this being the heart of the Franco-Swiss megaplex, one would expect there to be good coffee just about anywhere you go.  As it stands, CERN is actually quite well known for its high-grade coffee outlets in Restaurant 1, Restaurant 2, and various other cafes around the lab (some popular ones are in Building 40 and Building 30).  However, as is the case at Point 1 (where ATLAS physicists take shifts), people are reduced to paying for coffee to come out of something like this:

Real coffee bean selection on the left, instant coffee selection on the right. I'm serious.

I hesitate to actually call that coffee.  I mean, considering the depths of the abysmal sorrow, lonliness, and despair felt by a shifter on a cold Saturday morning around 04am, couldn’t the powers that be grace us with something a little more…legitimate?

Well, ATLAS be praised.  They have.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the invention which make shifts tolerable — meet our new Nespresso machine:

Things are looking up.

Here it is — it’s 8.48pm.  You’ve just scarfed half a package of biscotti, with a little help from your friend Nutella.  The next thought is, “Jesus, I need some milk.”  As you sashay your way to the refrigerator, you start to remember — maybe you finished the milk last night?  Did you have it with your cereal this morning?  Opening the door to the cold box, your worst fears are realized.  OMFG YOU’RE OUT OF MILK.  What will you do?  You know, and I know, that all the stores in the immediate 100km closed long ago, as you live on the Franco-Swiss border.  As it would appear, you are shit out of luck.

…unless you reside in the wonderful community of St-Genis!  The city organizers recently rallied in an effort to eliminate late-night milk famine, and have provided the citizens of their locality with a novel addition to the main round-about’s plaza.  That’s right, folks.  St-Genis now has a milk vending machine:

The mirage.

Whether you drink milk by the cupful or by the liter, this machine will serve your needs.  With a flashy and shiny exterior, I’m convinced that any passers-by will be drawn to its majesty as I was.  Hell, with that adorable bovine face peering out at you, how could you resist?  Fuck the grocers — this thing is open 24/24, 7/7.

I’m licking my lips just thinking about it.

This week, we bring you another selection from the CERN Market.  It seems that we often see some true goodness in and around the posts made on the CERN Market, and this week has no shortage of entertainment value.  But, before rolling out the red carpet, perhaps some back-drop should be provided for the non-CERNois readership…

The CERN Market, provided as an open forum to CERN Users to serve as a marketplace for furniture, housing, and vechicles, is truly a lifesaver.  Indeed, many gain some valuable experience by searching for apartments on the CERN Market, and I’m sure they combined income of the furniture salesmen/women could rival IKEA’s profits in a given year.  Anyone who posts on the CERN Market must have the appropriate computer access to do so.  Therefore, no spam is expected.

This week, while browsing an especially interesting category — Other — I came across a post that might have blended in well on craigslist.org, but was very clearly out of place here…

I present to you: “FOR THOSE WHO LIVE SPICY ONLY” (you’re going to want to zoom in on this, but read ahead to get some hints)

Spicy

Important Notes:

1. These are natural fancy color diamonds we’re talking about here.
2. These guys will provide door-to-door service with guaranty.
3. The missing images (I tried at least a couple of browsers) are, as you would expect, named ‘Kama Sutra.’

I think CERN needs to consider tightening those access rights.  On the other hand, CERN definitely needs its fair share of spice.