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Located between two countries, France and Switzerland, the famous European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is a special place in the eyes of the public, where the world’s most famous scientists work and new discoveries are born. Like the Higgs boson particle, whose discoverers won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Although David Brown’s popular book, Gods and Demons, describes the enigmatic story that begins at CERN, has given this scientific organization a mystique in the eyes of the public, it doesn’t really feel any mysterious aura when it goes there.
The main CERN area is more reminiscent of an intermediate route between a prestigious university campus full of young people from all over the world and round-trip tourist groups, and the famous technology companies in Silicon Valley (USA).
Access to the area through a security post in Geneva is only possible with permits, and the first thing that surprises you when you enter the main CERN area is the size.
Photo by J.Šimelevičienė / CERN in Switzerland
The 80-hectare area, equivalent to half of Vingis Park, is equipped with traffic rings and local buses that run regularly, which not only go from one side of the area to the other, but also to the Geneva airport and various CERN units in France.
The area houses offices, laboratories, several hotels, two restaurants with a capacity for 800 people, a bank, a post office, a medical point, a car service, a museum, a gym and even its own fire station.
When you get to CERN, the view is also behind the fence, surrounded by vineyards, and on both sides CERN is framed by mountains adorned with snowy peaks in winter and early spring.
After living for several years in a French city near CERN, I visited this science center at least several times a week. And every time I came here, I was more satisfied with the spirit of internationality: this scientific organization employs scientists from all over the world, so every time I come, I can count a dozen languages around the world.
Photo by J.Šimelevičienė / CERN Globe of Science and Innovation
Before the global pandemic, which inevitably emptied CERN territory when workers moved home to work, life here flourished even after working hours.
There are several dozen different leisure clubs for employees and their families: a children’s playroom, attended by employees or their spouses several times a week with young children, dancing, sailing, skiing, yoga, cars, mountaineering, as well as language courses. where French, Spanish and Chinese are taught.
One hundred meters underground
However, the most important, interesting and difficult part, even before the pandemic, of visiting CERN is underground. It is a 27-kilometer circular tunnel that runs one hundred meters underground between Switzerland and France, with a capacity of 6.6 billion. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) cost one billion euros.
In an accelerator, almost at the speed of light, proton beams orbit in two opposite directions and collide in four places, in experiments.
Andrius Kirilovas, a Lithuanian programmer who works at CERN for two and a half years. 15 minutes He explained that it is during these collisions that new particles are born, which are being studied by scientists around the world.
Personal file photo / Andrius Kirilovas, working at CERN
“The particles and protons are flying in the throttle, which accelerate almost to the speed of light and hit each other. During that collision, new particles form. The throttle is equipped with four detectors, which are like large cameras. and complex that capture what happens after a particle collision. “Scientists are studying new particles and their properties, and one of the biggest discoveries made at CERN is the discovery of a specific particle, the Higgs boson, which confirms the Higgs theory of the Higgs field, “said Kirilov.
The particles, protons, fly in the accelerator, which accelerate at almost the speed of light and strike each other’s forehead. During that collision, new particles form, says A. Kirilov.
In fact, in 2012, just three years after the launch of the accelerator, the analysis of the data obtained confirmed the existence of the elementary particle, the Higgs boson, which until then had only been described in theory. Scientists hope that analyzing the data will bring us even closer to the cognition of the universe and await new discoveries.
Photo by Maximilien Brice / CERN / Large Hadron Collider
The Lithuanian programmer is responsible for monitoring the data quality of one of the four detectors: the compact muon solenoid (CMS).
“It just came to our attention then. For technical reasons, the detector can’t detect what it’s not looking for, so we’re trying to clarify what we know about the Higgs boson. Not only is the search for new particles interesting, but also the ongoing antimatter research at CERN, ”reveals A. Kirilov.
Incidentally, prior to the pandemic, visitors were able to visit the CERN area, but were not allowed to descend into the underground tunnel, which runs the accelerator, only specially authorized personnel entered the door, the doors of which open after scanning the iris of your eyes.
However, at a time when the throttle is temporarily off for half a year or a year, visitors can visit the experiments, the giant cameras already mentioned, which capture the data obtained during the particle collision.
Personal file photo / Andrius Kirilovas visits CMS
For A. Kirilov, who also worked as a guide at CERN before the start of the pandemic and, sometimes, guided tours for visitors, the most impressive place was the CMS detector, which he is working on.
“I have received enough visitors to show it. The CMS is installed one hundred meters underground and is the size of a five-story building. Every time I land there, although I have seen it many times, it looks impressive. I have seen all the others detectors, but this is the most beautiful because it consists of different layers, “explained the Lithuanian.
Photo by Maximilien Brice / CERN / CMS detector
Surrounders wonder how it got to CERN
Programmer A. Kirilov is one of several Lithuanians working at CERN. According to him, currently about 12 Lithuanians work here with employment contracts, another 5 are students who have come for internships.
Kirilov himself came to CERN for the first time 2.5 years ago to do an internship, and soon afterwards returned as an employee.
Before going to CERN, one of the most prestigious scientific centers in the world, a Lithuanian had very high expectations, which came true.
“I have many smart colleagues around me, from whom I learn a lot every day. It’s fun to be in the right, stimulating environment. As soon as I arrived, within three months, I, as a programmer, learned very interesting additional things, especially related to physics, that take place at CERN, “says A. Kirilovas, which means working at the most famous science center of the world.
Photo from personal file / Andrius Kirilovas
Those who are close to CERN are very impressed by those around them, so when they discover where A. Kirilov works, friends and even strangers do not miss the opportunity to ask about this organization.
“Although it is a bit simpler to look at CERN employees in the Geneva area, people in Lithuania or elsewhere consider this scientific organization to be very prestigious. So when they discover where I work, those around me ask me what We do at CERN, how we managed to get here. Even the old school – Vilnius Antakalnis Gymnasium invites you to come and present what I do “, the Lithuanian has already got used to so much attention.
People in Lithuania or elsewhere consider this scientific organization to be very prestigious. So when they discover where I work, those around me ask me what we do at CERN, how we managed to get here, – says Kirilov.
It is true that a frequent visitor visiting CERN for the first time is surprised by the first youth buildings. The same happened to A. Kirilov.
“I was expecting a new and luxurious atmosphere, bright buildings, but when I arrived I discovered that not everything is as new and luxurious as I expected. But in better conditions, this is not a bad thing: the money we did not earn, but rather we collected from the Member States It is used for better purposes than environmental renewal, to accommodate as many people as possible, “said Kirilov.
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