HL-LHC

A person in a face mask and construction clothing adjusts the light on their hardhat stands in a gray tunnel near equipment. Behind, a large light shines.

A CERN photographer and videographer writes about his experiences documenting the ongoing upgrade that will turn the Large Hadron Collider into the High-Luminosity LHC.

For researchers interested in unlocking the mysteries of the universe, having access to the most powerful high-energy accelerator on the planet, a world-class detector, and young, fresh, and enthusiastic minds are a winning combination – and the Fermilab CMS Department has all three.

The U.S. Department of Energy has given the U.S. High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider Accelerator Upgrade Project approval to move full-speed-ahead in building and delivering components for the HL-LHC, specifically, cutting-edge magnets and accelerator cavities that will enable more rapid-fire collisions at the collider. The collider upgrades will allow physicists to study particles such as the Higgs boson in greater detail and reveal rare new physics phenomena. The U.S. collaborators on the project may now move into production mode.

Later this decade, the Large Hadron Collider will be upgraded to the High-Luminosity LHC. What does “luminosity” mean in particle physics, and why measure it instead of collisions?