A Front-Row Seat at the Big Bang: The LHC at CERN

The Public Science Lectures

January 25, 2011, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge MA

Steven Nahn, Associate Professor, Dept of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

After years of construction and testing, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is now producing new insights into the most fundamental level of nature. Professor Steven Nahn is involved in one of the major experiments at the LHC, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS).

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Professor Steven Nahn gives an update on the search for the Higgs Boson, extra dimensions, and mystery particles that might explain dark matter. He explains how the emerging data from the LHC, and especially from the project in which he is involved, will affect our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe. His presentation also includes a description of the engineering marvel of the LHC itself.

Dr. Nahn’s research is focused on the origin of mass, the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Some resources for background on the purpose of the Large Hadron Collider