Two Rensselaer undergraduates are currently at the center of an experiment that could reveal the origins of the universe. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in the foothills of the Swiss Alps is perhaps the largest scientific experiment of our time. Samuel Punshon-Smith and Mathew Pevarnik, both undergraduate physics majors, arrived in Switzerland in early July to begin what they both expect to be a whirlwind dip into the amazing arena of particle physics. These two accomplished students are working with elite research teams from dozens of nations around the world.

Photo Credit: Samuel Punshon-Smith

“The physics takes precedence over any ethnicity or political background,” Pevarnik said. “Everyone is united to solve some of the world’s most complicated questions.”

In 2008 the LHC will churn to life more than 450 feet under the fields of Switzerland, shooting particles at nearly light speed. Two beams of super-condensed particles will spin around more than 16 miles of complex piping, electronics, and superconducting magnets in a vacuum comparable to outer space. Only 20 collisions are expected to happen among 200 billion particles. Those collisions will occur with the force of a car hitting a brick wall at nearly 1,000 mph and physicists hypothesize that these extreme fender-benders on the nanoscale will create new forms of matter and even reveal secrets that have plagued humanity: How do particles acquire mass? How do you create something out of nothing? How do you jumpstart the construction of the universe?

These mini Big Bangs will occur more than 600 million times per second. The data produced each year would fill 14 miles of CDs. In order to process and analyze this data, CERN is constructing four particle detectors.

The two Rensselaer students have joined a few dozen students from around the world to work on getting the detectors up and computing. Punshon-Smith is working on the ATLAS detector while Pevarnik is working on the Compact Muon Solenoid team.

Their trip to CERN represents the ever-expanding international partnerships that Rensselaer students and faculty are developing around the world. A direct result of the recent European Delegation that sent Rensselaer leadership throughout the European Union in March 2007, the partnership with CERN aligns two great research institutions and provides students like Pevarnik and Punshon-Smith incredible international learning opportunities.

They both return stateside in mid-August.

Published July 16, 2007