Large Hadron Collider breaks high-energy records

Staff working on the largest, most complex scientific instrument in the world joined in a standing ovation earlier today as the machine began its long search for new particles, forces and extra dimensions of space.

Applause and cheers broke out across Cern, the European Nuclear Research Organisation near Geneva, at 12.06pm BST, the moment when subatomic particles travelling at close to the speed of light were slammed together in the machine, creating the highest energy particle collisions a laboratory has ever achieved.

The Large Hadron Collider, which took more than 15 years to design, plan and build, went back into service late last year after a massive electrical failure closed it down for 18 months of repair work in September 2008. Engineers had been running the machine at low energy before stepping up to high energy collisions today.

“It’s a great day to be a particle physicist,” Cern’s director general, Rolf Heuer, said. “A lot of people have waited a long time for this moment, but their patience and dedication is starting to pay dividends.”