The Channel Wire

September 10, 2008

Scientists at the Geneva-based European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known by its French acronym CERN, on Wednesday celebrated the first successful tests of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator -- and perhaps the most ambitious scientific experiment in history.

The tests involved sending a near-light speed beam of subatomic particles around the LHC, a 16.7 mile-long ring-shaped tunnel situated on the France-Swiss border. In a few weeks, the scientists will use the LHC to crash particles together with such force that it'll hopefully provide them with a glimpse into the origins of matter and shed light on the unanswered questions of physics.

"It's a fantastic moment...we can now look forward to a new era of understanding about the origins and evolution of the universe," said LHC project leader Lyn Evans, in a statement.

IT solution providers believe the LHC has the potential to not only usher the physics community into a new era, but to also eventually have beneficial effects on the pace of IT industry advancement.

"It may only require the confirmation of a single, basic aspect of our understanding of the universe to unlock a broad group of elusive mysteries," said Joe Bardwell, president and chief scientist of Connect802, a solution provider in San Ramon, Calif.

The LHC is an example of fundamental research that's crucial to driving technology forward, and it couldn't come a minute too soon, according to Dale Mitchell, general manager of Data Processing Sciences, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based solution provider.

"Sub-atomic research is vital to continued technology development. The only other research as important in my mind is biotech," said Mitchell. "Until we, as a society, can find a way to break the speed of light, we've about reached our limit in travel and computing."

Marc Harrison, president of Silicon East, a solution provider in Manalapan, N.J., says what physicists are doing today will affect the semiconductor fabrication process in 10 to 20 years.

"Without a doubt, the increased understanding of particle physics gained through the LHC will lead to technology spin-offs that will affect our industry in years to come," Harrison said.