Story perspectives

CERN's LHC Doubles Collision Rates, Sparks New Physics Quest

10/22/2025

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Summary

Story summary

In October 2025, CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) achieved proton bunches exceeding 230 billion particles, doubling collision rates.
The high-luminosity phase aims to produce more data and potentially reveal new physics, including dark matter or time-symmetry violations.
The project operates near physical limits and raises concerns about stability and safety.
Engineers are preparing for intense operations, with projections of over 100 inverse femtobarns of collision density annually.

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Story summary

In October 2025, CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) achieved proton bunches exceeding 230 billion particles, doubling collision rates.
The high-luminosity phase aims to produce more data and potentially reveal new physics, including dark matter or time-symmetry violations.
The project operates near physical limits and raises concerns about stability and safety.
Engineers are preparing for intense operations, with projections of over 100 inverse femtobarns of collision density annually.