PSL oversaw the fabrication of part of the enormous particle detector known as the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) which will be used on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) being built at CERN. The CMS detector will look for evidence of the theoretical Higgs particle, and is designed to recognize other particles that might function as alternative to the Higgs within the Standard Model. PSL was in charge of the end caps of the detector which consist of muon detection chambers sandwiched in between radiation-absorbing steel disks. Each end cap weighs about 3000 tons and has three steel disks 14 meters in diameter. The disks have to be situated upright, like a coin balancing on edge, yet also be extremely stable. Each disk is made of many pieces joined together. The joints must be very strong to resist pulling apart under the 4 Tesla magnetic field created by the solenoid. The disks must also be separable and moveable to have access to the muon chambers and the inner parts of the detector. PSL was involved in the electronics, design, and integration of the muon chambers, which are up to 3.3 meters long.

The steel end cap disks have been assembled at CERN. Construction of the other end cap components is well underway and design of the low and high voltage systems is proceeding on schedule. A number of the end cap sections have been lowered into the cavernous detector hall, including YE+2, YE+1, and also barrel sections YB+2 & YB0.

PSL's work was so effective that CERN has increased our scope, adding funding for design and integration of beam pipe support during the installation and servicing of the massive detector.

Photos are available at CERN outreach photos.
CMS Outreach also has Movies and some interesting descriptions of parameters.

The progress of CMS construction can be viewed through web cams at CERN and in the PSL photo repository for CMS.

PSL has been instrumental in developing tooling for assembly of the detector. PSL employees designed, built and tested in the PSL high bay a manipulator to be used to install hundreds of muon chambers of differing shapes and masses at many orientations on the CMS end caps.

Visit the CMS web site.