At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. They use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles. The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature.
In this lecture, Thijs Wijnands, who has a been active at CERN in various roles for more than 25 years, will take you on a tour of the laboratory, the various experiments that take place there and the technology required to uncover the mysteries of the smallest building blocks of nature.