what is the large hadron collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It is a circular accelerator with a circumference of about 27 kilometers (17 miles), located underground on the border between Switzerland and France near Geneva. The LHC accelerates two beams of particles, usually protons or heavy ions, to nearly the speed of light and then makes them collide at four interaction points where detectors analyze the particle interactions. The main purpose of the LHC is to explore the fundamental structure of the universe by testing the Standard Model of particle physics and searching for new particles. It helps scientists understand the origins of mass, the nature of matter and energy, and recreate conditions similar to those just after the Big Bang. It was instrumental in the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, a particle associated with the Higgs field that gives mass to other particles. The accelerator uses superconducting magnets cooled to extremely low temperatures to guide and accelerate the particle beams. Collisions occur at unprecedented energy levels of up to 13-14 teraelectronvolts (TeV), allowing the study of phenomena that were previously inaccessible. In summary, the LHC is a massive scientific machine designed for high-energy particle collisions to advance knowledge about the universe's fundamental building blocks and forces.