Thread: Breadcrumb blocking particle accelerator of the Cern

Even scientific equipment sophisticated can be blocked by a grain of sand. Or rather ... A crumb of bread.
The particle accelerator at the European Center for Nuclear Research (Cern) in Geneva, Switzerland
has been the victim of an unbelievable incident, a crumbs of baguette (french bread) dropped by a bird over the particle accelerator (LHC)
have caused a short circuit last week, triggering a "weak" warming machine.

"Tuesday, November 3, a bird presumed to be an owl carrying a baguette has caused a short circuit
on an electrical installation outdoor feeding areas 7-8 and 8-1 of the LHC, the Large Hadron Collider,
CERN said in a memo which AFP has obtained a copy. The shock caused a "disruption of operations of the LHC cryogenic system," says CERN.
"These pieces or bread crumbs" caused "a small warming of absolute zero (-273.15 ° C) at -268 degree Celsius,
"Everything went back to normal a few hours later, and operations were resumed on the night of November 5,"
"The incident was similar to the effects of normal power failure, for which the protection systems of the machine are very well prepared" CERN provides yet in his note.
The Nuclear Research Center wants cautious scalded by the disappointments of the largest particle accelerator in the world
that should enable progress in understanding the composition of matter and the universe.
more than a year after two successive failures that followed a few days of its official launch in September 2008.
The construction of this instrument of physical accuracy unmatched took over twelve years, mobilized 7 000 physicists and cost 3.76 billion euros.

source : afp / le parisen