CERN’s new 11.3-tesla magnets prepare the LHC for more particle collisions
CERN is replacing the magnets that focus particle beams near the ATLAS and CMS experiments with stronger niobium-tin versions. The new magnets have reached 11.3 tesla in tests, compared with 8.3 tesla for the LHC’s current main dipoles, and are designed to tighten the beams and increase collisions. CERN has begun dismantling sections of the collider for the upgrade, with the first new quadrupole due in the tunnel at the start of 2029.
Bottom line — CERN plans to install 16 cryostats and 28 cryo-assemblies as the LHC prepares for its high-luminosity phase.
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CERN says niobium-tin is brittle after heat treatment, so its coils must be wound first and then heated to form the superconducting material.
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IEEE Spectrum reports that CERN’s team produced 250 coils; 25 failed quality checks because of manufacturing challenges or human error.
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Berkeley Lab has assembled and tested 11 of the 20 magnets being built by the US project, according to the laboratory.
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The magnets are made through a CERN and US laboratory collaboration involving Berkeley Lab, Brookhaven, Fermilab and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
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The LHC’s upgraded magnets are intended to focus beams more tightly. Berkeley Lab says beam diameter is expected to shrink from about 20 to 10 micrometres.
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CERN says the new inner triplets are being installed around ATLAS and CMS; ALICE and LHCb do not need the same increase in instantaneous luminosity.