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LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:43 am
by Xymox
The accelerator will shut down on the evening of December 16. CERN is closed December 19-January 3. Throughout the month of January there will be no beams as work is completed in the tunnel. CERN's official word on the timing for 7 TeV collisions is now "first quarter 2010."


Until then

The focus right now is providing a sufficient number of 900 GeV collision events to the experiments to meet their needs (they have requested approx. 1 million events; there is still some ways to go to reach that goal). The plan is not to try for additional collisions at 2.36 TeV until enough 900 GeV events have been recorded, but to record 2.36 TeV collisions in all experiments before the accelerator is shut down on the evening of December 16

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:43 am
by Stephen
Well, they have a lot to do before they go on a break.

So basically if there's a chance to create a Higgs Boson, black holes or other weird things, we're going to see evidence for these things during 2010?

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:58 am
by Shadowdraxx
not 100% stephen, mm well the machine needs additional repairs to soldering which only a full winter shutdown can provide, so it wont operate at a full fat 14 Tev until 2011, thats my roundabout date, and all the stuff is related to the "full fat" energy, the higgs however could show it's self at lower energy properties (is it lower i cant remember).

I think they will be running 2~tev feb slow ramping and then running full time on 7Tev by may, thro to winter shutdown.

They seem happy not to nuke the magnets this time, so 7 tev is better than melted $1 million magnets :)

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:13 pm
by March_Hare
Shadowdraxx wrote:the higgs however could show it's self at lower energy properties (is it lower i cant remember).
Yup. As far as I understand, according to some theoretical points of view even Tevatron *might* find a "Higgs" because their energy is about at the bottom level of where Higgs bosons could manifest themselves. However, you cannot steer what is created in these collisions, it is a matter of chance.

So getting a Higgs Boson in Tevatron could take (if the models are even right) *years* of collisions at the energies Tevatron can reach. If you throw in higher energies, however, chances to find Higgs bosons should increase.

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:22 pm
by Xymox
A PIC.... March_Hare put up a avatar !! We need more avatars...

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:28 pm
by NormReitzel
You know, it's not really about overstressing the magnets.

When a magnet is run past it's limit, it quenches. There are new safety systems in place -- which have been tested in theory -- but a full quench is a titanic event and at this point in time, I think they would rather be conservative than test safety systems to possible destruction.

They're going to have to test them sooner or later, but right now, I'm guessing later (2011).

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:45 am
by CharmQuark
Can't wait to see what happens next year :)

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 8:56 am
by Xymox
Ok they will shut it down at 18:00 the 16th CERN time

Party after...

What a awesome startup !

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 2:28 pm
by Harbles
Has anyone seen any mention of if they will keep the magnets at 1.9 deg K or let them warm up some to save cooling electricity?

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 3:12 pm
by DCWhitworth
Will it be cheaper to let them warm up then cool them down again or to just keep them cool ?

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 3:32 pm
by BenM
I suspect the chilling load is actually quite small... the magnets take all the current (proportionally speaking).

If they switch off the chilling they will have to start a large proportion of the commissioning again - if the temperature, of the magnets, rises too much I suspect that thermal stress will change their characteristics somewhat.

All guesses though :)

B.

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:27 pm
by Harbles
Well that's it for 2009.

AB-OP elog...
" 18:05 While people start drinking, we:
- stop all the magnets;
- clase all the valves;
- prepare access conditions."

And Page 1 message

"That's it folks

See you all next year..."

So no more vistar watching for a while.

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:55 pm
by Tim Bergel
Bye guys - see you in February. Have a good Christmas.

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 6:40 pm
by DsDetective
Looks like the Atlas and CMS experiments are finally at my preferred status

Image

Re: LHC Shutdown schedule

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:54 pm
by Glacialis
...

...

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"