Quantum Physics

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Explainer: What is a quantum computer?

How it works, why it’s so powerful, and where it’s likely to be most useful first This is the first in a series of explainers on quantum technology. The other two are on quantum communication and post-quantum cryptography. A quantum computer harnesses some of the almost-mystical phenomena of quantum mechanics to deliver huge leaps forward in processing power. […]

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Accelerating: Radiofrequency Cavities

To accelerate particles, the accelerators are fitted with metallic chambers containing an electromagnetic field known as radiofrequency (RF) cavities. Charged particles injected into this field receive an electrical impulse that accelerates them. In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), 16 RF cavities are housed in four cylindrical refrigerators called cryomodules, which enable them to work in a […]

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The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It first started up on 10 September 2008, and remains the latest addition to CERN’s accelerator complex. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. […]

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Compositeness

The unprecedented energy of proton collisions at the LHC could be what scientists need to find a possible substructure for subatomic particles The Standard Model of particle physics tells us what elementary particles make up matter in the universe. As far as we know, the particles in the Standard Model are the basic building blocks of matter […]

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Exploring new ways to see the Higgs boson

The ATLAS and CMS collaborations presented their latest results on new signatures for detecting the Higgs boson at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider This media update is part of a series related to the 2020 Large Hadron Collider Physics conference, which took place from 25 to 30 May 2020. Originally planned to take place in Paris, […]

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CMS, CERN

The CMS detector uses a huge solenoid magnet to bend the paths of particles from collisions in the LHC The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It has a broad physics programme ranging from studying the Standard Model (including the Higgs boson) to searching for extra dimensions and particles that could make up dark matter. Although it […]

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W boson: Sunshine and stardust

The W boson carries the weak force. It changes the character of particles of matter—allowing the Sun to burn and new elements to form Discovered in 1983, the W boson is a fundamental particle. Together with the Z boson, it is responsible for the weak force, one of four fundamental forces that govern the behaviour of matter […]

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TOTEM

The ‘Total, elastic and diffractive cross-section measurement’ experiment studies particles thrust forward by collisions in the LHC When protons meet head-on at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the collisions provide a micro-laboratory to investigate many phenomena, including the protons themselves. This is the physics that the TOTEM experiment is designed to explore, by taking precise measurements of protons as […]

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The Z boson

The Z boson is a neutral elementary particle which – along with its electrically charged cousin, the W – carries the weak force Discovered in 1983 by physicists at the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN, the Z boson is a neutral elementary particle. Like its electrically charged cousin, the W, the Z boson carries the weak force. The weak force […]

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Neutron stars show their cores

A combination of theoretical calculations and information from astronomical observations indicates that massive neutron stars can contain cores filled with free quarks Artist’s impression of a neutron star’s interior. The deeper the layer, the denser it is. (Image: Jyrki Hokkanen, CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd., Finland) Dive into the interior of neutron stars and […]

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MARS Bioimaging is seeking partners to better enable drug development and therapy monitoring for COVID-19 and other lung diseases

Background The current standard for definitive diagnosis of COVID-19 is the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). While this is a highly sensitive and specific test for COVID-19, it does not measure the severity nor progress of the associated lung disease. Significance of CERN Technology/MARS imaging could help COVID-19 treatment monitoring and drug development Mars technology […]