“Hello Bernard! Let me introduce you to the person who is accompanying me throughout the day, as I explained to you.
- Hello, both of you! Please, come in and have a seat.
I’d like to start by asking you a very simple question... What is the purpose of CERN?
- There is an obvious answer: it is a laboratory that brings together a group of people who will contribute — with all the modesty behind this expression — to the increase of humanity’s knowledge about the universe in which we live and about the structure of matter. That is the primary mission. But, of course, we cannot limit ourselves to that! Behind this scientific quest, there is a duty: to have technologies adapted to this research. And sometimes these technologies are transferred to industry or the general public.
This leads me to a second question that is just as crucial as the first: what is the purpose of CERN for us?
- To stimulate our curiosity! Research on the universe and matter contributes to global knowledge. In addition, CERN also serves us all indirectly in our daily lives. For example, in the medical field, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which is used in oncology and neurology, and all the techniques employing radioactive tracers are based on technologies developed for research. The analytical equipment is simply miniaturized and adapted to human morphology. And for treating patients, we use accelerators that also take advantage of the advances made at CERN.
But then, does that mean that there are accelerators all over the world?
- Absolutely! There are those dedicated to research, such as those at CERN, of course; but throughout the world, more than 30,000 accelerators are used in very different fields, in medicine and even... at the Louvre! The museum has an accelerator that makes it possible, for example, to determine the chemical composition of artworks, to date them, and sometimes to confirm their authenticity.”
| This is a rather unexpected application! |
“Let’s talk a little more about CERN, Bernard. How many people work here?
- Currently, there are 2500 people working directly for CERN, about a thousand students and doctoral students also paid by the Organization, as well as about 13,000 users from about 100 countries, who are paid by their home laboratories and who come periodically for missions. Some stay for a few days, others for a few weeks or more. The right question to ask, therefore, is: How many people are there at CERN on a given day? And the answer is: between 7000 and 10,000, depending on the operating periods of the accelerators.
And are all of these scientists immersed in their calculations?
- Oh no, far from it! It should be pointed out that there are not only scientists at CERN, a large number of professions can be pursued here. Many different training courses allow you to work at CERN — as a theorist, engineer, technician, assistant in an administrative field, member of the service staff, etc. There is a continuous spectrum of very varied jobs! And of course, the selected candidates are the best in their fields.”
| The selection must be rigorous. Well, let’s get to the Higgs boson. |
“Bernard, the LHC was built mainly to discover the Higgs boson... Now that this objective has been achieved, what are we going to do?
- Well, first of all, the Higgs boson story is far from the end! The coming years of operation of the LHC will serve to refine our understanding of the Higgs boson itself, but also to study the couplings that exist between it and the particles that acquire mass through this interaction. And of course, in parallel, we will continue to test the Standard Model...”
| I don’t know if all this means anything to you, but in any case, don’t panic. We will obviously have the opportunity to discuss it again during our visit. |
“... At the same time, we will look carefully to see if there might be shivers of other particles that we do not know and that cannot be predicted by any theory. Between its inauguration and 2016, the LHC provided only 5% of the total number of collisions planned, with a research programme that extends to 2037. The LHC therefore still has a long way to go. We hope to be able to provide answers to some of the major questions of current physics: what is matter made of? Why did matter prevail over antimatter in the early universe? What is dark matter? We don’t have an answer yet, but we have avenues to explore, especially in particle physics. Thus, it is by observing the smallest that we can understand the biggest!
Speaking of smaller and bigger... Can the LHC produce black holes, as in space, but on a very small scale?
- This is very unlikely. However, according to some theories, the formation of tiny “quantum” black holes is possible. Observing such a phenomenon would allow us to better understand the universe... and would not present any danger! We are constantly receiving particles from space that have an energy much higher than the LHC can produce, and that collide with particles in the atmosphere. Does this mean that these collisions lead to black holes? No. So how could this be the case in the LHC, with much lower energy?”
| So there is no danger — the Earth will not disappear into a black hole created at CERN! |
“Well, thank you very much Bernard, I think that’s all that...
- No, wait! Wait! Before you leave, I would like to add something that is close to my heart. I would like to tell you that CERN, for me, is not only a research laboratory: it also represents more than 60 years of science in the service of peace...”
| CERN was born just after the Second World War: later on, I will tell you a little bit about its history. |
“... Only CERN has carried and continues to carry this message of peace with the same strength. For example, the SESAME project (supported by CERN and UNESCO) for a new synchrotron accelerator in Jordan brings together Israelis and Palestinians, but also Egyptians, Iranians, Pakistanis, Turks, Cypriots, Bahrainis and of course Jordanians. Symbolically, it is extraordinary: I am firmly convinced that we can unite countries through science. CERN is a model of international collaboration, which promotes respect for cultures and origins, and which, through its ability to bring together very different people, provides an answer to the question: how can we live well together? In my opinion, this aspect is very important.
So we will leave each other with this cry from the heart! Thank you, Bernard, for sharing your knowledge of CERN with us.
- You’re welcome; if you have any further questions, feel free to come back to my office.”
After this warm and informative nice introduction offered by Bernard, I have only one desire: to take you to the Globe! Let’s go out the way we entered — it’s the fastest. You will tell me that we have not discussed economic issues with Bernard: don’t worry, we will have another interview very soon that will be specifically devoted to that question.
As we walk along the impressive line of flags, you may wonder what languages are spoken at CERN. There are two official languages here, English and French; yet, against all odds, neither is the majority language. Don’t be surprised: you can rest assured that no one here speaks Shakespeare’s language, or even like Shakespeare; no, here the unofficial but nevertheless the most common language is globish. For French people like me, it is, if you will, a generalization of “Frenglish” to the whole world, with a rather limited vocabulary. So, what you need to understand is that here we do not speak all the languages, but that we speak one — globish — with