Non-LHC experiments

While the main focus of research at CERN has moved in recent years towards the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), experiments at other accelerators and facilities remain an important part of the laboratory’s activities.

In the ‘fixed-target’ experiments, a single beam of particles from an accelerator strikes a ‘target’, which can be in the form of a solid, liquid or gas.  In some instances, the target is itself part of the detection system.

The COMPASS experiment is studying the structure of hadrons – particles made of quarks – at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). NA61/SHINE is studying properties of the production of hadrons. NA62 uses protons from the SPS to study rare kaon decays. DIRAC is investigating the strong force between quarks at the Proton Synchrotron (PS). Also at the PS, the CLOUD experiment is investigating a possible link between cosmic rays and cloud formation. ACE, AEGIS, ALPHA, ASACUSA, and ATRAP are all making use of antiprotons at the Antiproton Decelerator.

In addition, the CAST experiment, which uses a prototype dipole magnet for the LHC, is looking for hypothetical new particles coming, not from collisions at CERN, but from the Sun.