Category: Newsletter
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ATLAS explores the quark–gluon plasma with light-ion collisions
ATLAS explores the quark–gluon plasma with light-ion collisions In July 2025, ATLAS recorded the first-ever collisions of light ions at the LHC — oxygen–oxygen (O–O) and neon–neon (Ne–Ne) — marking a new phase in the study of strongly interacting matter. These short, intense runs provided a unique opportunity to explore the transition between conventional hadronic
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A word from the EP Deputy Department Head – October 2025
A word from the EP Deputy Department Head – October 2025 It is my pleasure to introduce this latest issue of the EP newsletter, full of fascinating articles drawn from the breadth of activities going on in the CERN EP department and beyond. As the weather turns colder and we begin to look towards the
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LHCb explores new physics in special light-ion LHC runs
LHCb explores new physics in special light-ion LHC runs The LHC carried out a special run programme early summer. First results were reported by the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb experiments at the Initial Stages of High-Energy Nuclear Collisions conference. These results were also presented at a CERN seminar and reported in a CERN news.
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CMS explores light-ion collisions: suppression, scaling, and collectivity
CMS explores light-ion collisions: suppression, scaling, and collectivity The CMS experiment has reported first results from the LHC’s dedicated oxygen–oxygen (O–O) and neon–neon (Ne–Ne) collision run, offering an unprecedented look at quark–gluon plasma (QGP) formation in light-ion systems. These studies address long-standing questions about the minimal conditions required for QGP droplets to form and how
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EDIT Instrumentation Schools: Preparing the Next Generation of Detector Experts
EDIT Instrumentation Schools: Preparing the Next Generation of Detector Experts The Excellence in Detector and Instrumentation Technologies (EDIT) Schools are an established series of international training events dedicated to young researchers – graduate students and early-career postdocs – who want to deepen their knowledge of detector technologies and instrumentation for particle physics. Rotating between Europe,
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Aerogel RICH detector for the future ALICE 3 PID system at LHC
Aerogel RICH detector for the future ALICE 3 PID system at LHC For the LHC Runs 5, starting in 2036, the ALICE collaboration is proposing a new apparatus, ALICE 3 (CDS record), to further investigate the properties of Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP) following the physics measurement campaign of LHC Runs 3 and 4. Despite significant progress,
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G4HepEm: accelerated electromagnetic shower simulation for the HL–LHC
G4HepEm: accelerated electromagnetic shower simulation for the HL–LHC When the High–Luminosity LHC (HL–LHC) starts delivering data, the volume of simulated events required to control systematic uncertainties will rise sharply. In ATLAS, detailed detector simulation already consumes a large fraction of the computing budget; in CMS, it is expected to grow substantially with the Phase-2 upgrade,
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ISOLDE charts the shores of the islands of inversion
ISOLDE charts the shores of the islands of inversion For decades, CERN’s ISOLDE (Isotope Separator On-Line Device) facility has been a global leader in exploring the behaviour of exotic nuclei far from stability. By delivering beams of short-lived isotopes and enabling their study with advanced spectroscopic techniques, ISOLDE has expanded our view on nuclear structure
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Breakthrough: Coherent Spectroscopy with a Single Antiproton Spin
Breakthrough: Coherent Spectroscopy with a Single Antiproton Spin BASE physicist Barbara Latacz in front of the experiment’s cryostat. This cylinder, which is kept at 4 kelvins (-269°C), houses the system of traps that cool and measure the antiprotons and a very strong magnet. (Image: CERN) In a significant breakthrough for precision physics and antimatter research,
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Welcome to the Collider Neutrino Era!
Welcome to the Collider Neutrino Era! Searches for new fundamental particles and interactions at hadron collider experiments such as the SPS, the TeVatron, and the LHC have traditionally focused on heavy and relatively strongly interacting states. The two general-purpose experiments of the LHC, ATLAS and CMS, were for this reason designed to cover the central