PARTICLE PHYSICS A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site Large Hadron Collider A particle accelerator and collider nearing completion at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. Upon start-up, scheduled for September 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will become the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, capable of smashing together beams of protons with a combined particle energy of 14 TeV. The five particle detector experiments that are being set up at various points along the Large Hadron Collider are called ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, and TOTEM. Scientists expect research with the LHC to shed important light on several key questions in physics. These include the existence or otherwise of the Higgs boson, extra spatial dimensions predicted by various forms of string theory, and supersymmetric partners of known particles. The LHC will test the Standard Model of particle physics, help probe the reason for symmetry violations between matter and antimatter, and perhaps lead to a better understanding of the weakness of gravity and the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Related category    • PARTICLE PHYSICS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) BACK TO TOP