On January 10-12 our MIT Physics department head, Prof. Deepto Chakrabarty embarked on a special journey to CERN. MIT is making a notable impact at CERN through projects like AMS, Isolde, LHCb, CMS, and theory research. It was a privilege to share details of our activities and present him with a firsthand view of our unique experiments.
Our PPC local group accompanied him to an early morning exploration of the ATLAS experiment, descending about 100m to witness the largest volume particle detector at LHC (46 m long, 25 m high, and 25 m wide). The following day, we ventured to the other side of the 27 km ring, still 90 m underground, to visit our beloved CMS. Intrigued, he asked us how we could access the LHC beam pipe, so we made sure he got a picture of him in the LHC tunnel. Weighing 14 tons, double that of ATLAS, but with half the volume, CMS stood as a marvel in the cavern.
Deepto was fascinated by all these spectacular experimental apparatus designed to capture the multitude of high-energy LHC collisions.
We also had fun kicking protons at the Science Gateway, designed to enable interactions between the Science and Public. The group finally gathered an enjoyable dinner at Bois Joly restaurant in Crozet, culminating in an engaging visit!