On October 1, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) celebrated its 70th anniversary.
This research center, which houses the world’s largest particle accelerator, is renowned for its groundbreaking scientific discoveries and aims to decode the mysteries of the universe, such as dark matter and dark energy, while affirming the role of science in promoting peace in a world filled with conflict.
Over the past 70 years, CERN (located at the Swiss-French border) has become a well-known name in the international community. The discoveries made by this research organization have changed the world and humanity’s perspective on the universe.
CERN is known as the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). (Photo: AP).
CERN was established in 1951 as a result of the United Nations’ efforts to create a leading physics research center in Europe. The construction of CERN’s headquarters began on May 17, 1954. Today, CERN is primarily known as the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Regarded as the largest machine in the world, the LHC uses a network of magnets to accelerate particles through a 27km circular tunnel underground around Geneva (Switzerland), causing them to collide at speeds nearly equal to the speed of light. By collecting and decoding the results of these collisions, which occur at frequencies up to billions of times per second, scientists can gain a deeper understanding of fundamental physics principles.
According to CERN, the collisions in the LHC generate temperatures over 100,000 times hotter than the core of the Sun, albeit on a small scale and in a controlled environment.
Speaking at the 70th-anniversary celebration, which was attended by many leaders from 24 member countries, CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti stated: “At the collider, every day, we can recreate the conditions of the primordial universe just a millionth of a millionth of a second after the Big Bang.”
Over the years, CERN and its laboratories have evolved into a massive research center with applications across various fields of science and industry. One of CERN’s most significant discoveries was the confirmation of the existence of the Higgs boson in 2012. This incredibly small subatomic particle was theorized decades earlier, and its discovery by CERN completed the Standard Model of particle physics, helping us better understand how the universe was formed and functions.
Moreover, CERN is also where the World Wide Web was born. In 1989, British scientist Tim Berners-Lee at CERN invented the first web protocol to help universities and research institutes share information. By 1993, CERN made this source code available globally, sparking the information revolution we now use daily on smartphones and computers.
The scientific achievements from CERN do not stop at theory. Thousands of smaller particle accelerators are currently operating worldwide, widely applied in fields such as medicine and high-tech manufacturing. Crystals developed for CERN experiments about 40 years ago are now commonly used in PET scanners to detect early signs of health issues like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized: “Thanks to CERN, we have touch screens. Thanks to CERN, we have new tools to combat cancer. Scientists here are always collaborating with European industries to create low-emission aircraft or develop new solutions for transporting liquid hydrogen. CERN is a living testament that science drives innovation, and innovation drives competitiveness.” She also stated her desire to increase research spending in the next European Union (EU) budget.
CERN is currently nurturing two major projects. The first, the High-Luminosity LHC project, aims to increase the number of particle collisions starting in 2029. The second, a longer-term project, is the Future Circular Collider (FCC), with an estimated cost of 15 billion Swiss francs (approximately 17.2 billion USD) and is expected to commence operations in its early stages by 2040.
Currently, CERN has 19 member countries, including EU nations, the UK, Israel, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland, while the US and Japan, along with the EU and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), hold observer status.
One of CERN’s biggest future goals is to decode the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, two factors that make up a significant portion of the universe’s mass and energy. Scientists at CERN are striving to explain why the universe is expanding rapidly and to understand the nature of dark matter—a type of matter that cannot be seen but constitutes about 27% of the total matter in the universe. CERN continues to affirm the role of science for peace, opening new doors to explore the unknown aspects of the universe and providing technological advancements for the global common good.
