Full Breakdown
CERN Powers New Superconducting Magnets for the High-Luminosity LHC
7/23/2026, 11:18:22 AM
New Superconducting Magnets Reach Full Current
On July 8, the Inner Triplet (IT) String test facility at CERN successfully powered its new quadrupole magnets to the design current of 16 230 amperes. The magnets, built with niobium-tin superconducting coils, achieved magnetic fields of 11.3 tesla, roughly 35 % higher than the niobium-titanium magnets currently installed in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Their aperture widened from 70 mm to 150 mm, allowing tighter focusing of proton beams and a higher collision rate. Crucially, the magnets reached full current without a quench—an unwanted transition from the superconducting to the normal conducting state—demonstrating that the training they underwent was retained (“good memory”).
All 17 electrical circuits of the IT String, including the separation dipole that will steer beams apart after collisions, and the corrector magnet circuits, also reached their nominal currents. The protection system safely extracted up to 38 megajoules of stored magnetic energy into liquid helium kept at 1.9 kelvin when required.
Background & Context
The upgrades are part of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HiLumi LHC) project, slated to begin operations in 2030. The HL-LHC will increase the collider’s luminosity by a factor of about seven, delivering vastly larger data sets that enable searches for rare phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.
Data & Statistics
| Parameter | Value | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Design current | 16 230 A | Full operating level for new quadrupoles |
| Magnetic field | 11.3 T | ~35 % higher than current LHC magnets |
| Aperture | 150 mm (up from 70 mm) | Tighter beam focusing |
| Stored energy released | 38 MJ | Demonstrates protection system performance |
| Operating temperature | 1.9 K | Helium bath temperature for superconductivity |
| Number of circuits powered | 17 | Complete hardware commissioning of IT String |
Official Statements & Responses
Samer Yammine, responsible for IT String operations, noted that the successful powering of all circuits marked the completion of the hardware commissioning phase and that the campaign generated a large data set for further analysis of subsystems such as cryogenics, quench detection and alignment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This second operational campaign in September will primarily focus on validating the commissioning procedures and analysis tools, as well as demonstrating the reproducibility of the integrated system performance,” — Marta Bajko
What’s Next
A second operational campaign is planned for September, focusing on validating commissioning procedures, analysis tools, and demonstrating reproducibility of integrated system performance. Afterward, the IT String will be warmed to room temperature, then cooled again in preparation for additional tests of superconducting circuits, machine cycles, electromagnetic coupling and alignment before final installation in the HL-LHC.
