Farewell Large Hadron Collider, Hello High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
The atom-smashing collider is on schedule to begin receiving upgrades that will transform it into an even more powerful version of itself.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is, or rather was, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. Built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008, it lies in a tunnel 27 kilometres (17 miles) in circumference and as deep as 175 metres (574 ft) beneath the France-Switzerland border near Geneva.
At $9 billion, the LHC is one of the most expensive scientific instruments ever built, but it’s difficult to overstate just how much it has helped advance our understanding of the universe.
Since its debut in 2008, the subatomic smasher proved the existence of the Higgs boson particle (aka the God particle), highlighted the perplexing nature of muons, and even measured antimatter. Apocalyptic conspiracy theories to the contrary, it expanded on key concepts in quantum physics, while charting a path forward for researchers around the world.
Still, all good things must come to an end. CERN has announced that the LHC has officially entered “Long Shutdown 3,” thus ceasing operations after 18 years of remarkable work. But in keeping with some of the most mindbending quantum physics concepts, the LHC is technically both dead and not dead at all. The collider is now on schedule to begin receiving upgrades that will transform it into an even more powerful subterranean beast: the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HiLumi LHC).
Unsurprisingly, starting up the new HiLumi LHC won’t be as simple as flipping a switch. A gradual reboot will begin in 2028 before becoming fully operational in 2030. As its name implies, the HiLumi LHC will generate a luminosity ten times greater than its predecessor, allowing it to gather data on the subatomic world in much greater detail while investigating subjects like the Higgs boson. From there, the potential for new discoveries is as vast as the universe itself.
