GENEVA - The world's largest particle collider malfunctioned within hours of its launch to great fanfare, but its operator didn't report the problem for a week.
In a statement Thursday, the European Organization for Nuclear Research reported for the first time that a 30-ton transformer that cools part of the collider broke, forcing physicists to stop using the atom smasher just a day after starting it up last week.
The faulty transformer has been replaced and the ring in the 17-mile circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border has been cooled back down to near zero on the Kelvin scale — minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit — the most efficient operating temperature, said a statement by CERN, as the organization is known.
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Before the problem occurred, scientists had said it would probably be several weeks before the first significant collisions were attempted.
What are we going to do with all these Atoms that aren't being smashed? Grab your children and head for your bomb shelter. This is no joke. Atoms are a serious threat to our safety.
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