Farewell, atom-smashing Large Hadron Collider | Popular Science
Search for:
svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">
svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">
svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">
svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">
Farewell, atom-smashing Large Hadron Collider
After 18 years of discovery, it's goodbye LHC and hello High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider.
By Andrew Paul
Published
Jul 5, 2026 9:03 AM EDT
Add Popular Science (opens in a new tab)
More information<br>Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results.
The LHC was integral in confirming the existence of the Higgs boson particle, aka the God particle.
Credit: Ronald Patrick / Getty Images
Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđĄ
Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week.
Email address
Sign up<br>Thank you!
By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Itâs difficult to overstate just how much the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has helped advance our understanding of the universe. Since its debut in 2008, the 16.7-mile-wide subatomic smasher buried underneath Switzerland proved the existence of the Higgs boson particle (aka the God particle), highlighted the perplexing nature of muons, and even measured antimatter. Apocalyptic conspiracy theories to the contrary, it expanded on key concepts in quantum physics, while charting a path forward for researchers around the world.
Still, all good things must come to an end. On June 29, CERN announced that the LHC had officially entered âLong Shutdown 3,â thus ceasing operations after 18 years of remarkable work. But in keeping with some of the most mindbending quantum physics concepts, the LHC is technically both dead and not dead at all.
Instead of a total decommission, the collider is now on schedule to begin receiving upgrades that will transform it into an even more powerful version of itself. The Large Hadron Collider is deadâlong live the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HiLumi LHC).
âThe LHC has exceeded every expectation,â CERN Director for Accelerators and Technology Oliver BrĂźning said in a recent statement. âToday we say goodbye to the LHC as we have known it, while preparing to welcome its successorâŚwhich will extend this scientific adventure far into the future.â
The LHC went dormant to receive upgrades and recalibrations during two prior Long Shutdowns in 2013â2015 and 2015â2018. However, these upcoming additions are major enough to usher in an entirely new phase of the atom smasherâs existence. Over the next four years, CERN and its collaborators will renovate the entire LHC complex and its facilities. These will include consolidating the North Areaâs Super Proton Synchrotron, deconstructing the CERN Neutrinos to Gran Sasso target area, as well as overhauling a section called the Experimental North Cavern 3 into a high-intensity fixed-target section. Researchers estimate that around 0.75 miles of magnets and other components will be removed and replaced entirely with new technology.
âThe LS3 represents a huge and complex logistical and engineering undertaking,â said LS3 Coordination Team director Jean-Philippe Tock.
Unsurprisingly, starting up the new HiLumi LHC wonât be as simple as flipping a switch. A gradual reboot will begin in 2028 before becoming fully operational in 2030. As its name implies, the HiLumi LHC will generate a luminosity ten times greater than its predecessor, allowing it to gather data on the subatomic world in much greater detail while investigating subjects like the Higgs boson. From there, the potential for new discoveries is as vast as the universe itself.
2025 PopSci Best of Whatâs New
The 50 most important innovations of the year
See it
.article-sidebar]:pt-0">
Trending
Wildlife
Watch bison shield their baby from a rare wolf attack in Poland
By Sara Hashemi
Robots
Worldâs first cockroach diving suit actually works
By Mack DeGeurin
More in Particle Physics
Particle Physics
The atom-smashing Large Hadron Colliderâs successor will be 56 miles wide
By Andrew Paul
Robots
A four-legged âRobodogâ is patrolling the Large Hadron Collider
By Mack DeGeurin
Particle Physics
What we learned from the Large Hadron Collider on its first day back in business
By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira
Particle Physics
How the worldâs biggest particle accelerator is racing to cook up plasma from after the big bang
By Rahul Rao
Particle Physics
The souped-up Large Hadron Collider is back to take on its weightiest questions yet
By Rahul Rao
Particle Physics
Europeâs energy crisis could shut down the Large Hadron Collider
By Rahul Rao
Particle Physics
The biggest particle collider in the world gets back to work
By...