LHC down for two months

 

Get the latest news from Computerworld delivered via email. Sign up now

It was launched with a hiss and a roar on September 10, but there have been some set-backs with the Large Hadron Collider.
A few days ago, a malfunctioning transformer caused the main cryogenic compressors for two sections of the machine to go down.
Now, a melted electrical connection between two magnets has brought the LHC down for two months.
A project of this magnitude can hardly expected to go ahead without a few glitches; some expressed concern that the experiment could create a black hole that will swallow up the earth; that hasn’t happened, so chalk up one point for the LHC on that count.
With the project temporarily on hold, one can always watch the much-acclaimed rap about the LHC another time - or make it the ringtone on your mobile phone.