What went on in the CERN chat yesterday?

Yesterday, we got to talk about the role of magnets and lasers at CERN!

The equipment used in CERN experiments are just as complex as the physical phenomena they are used to investigate – just take a look at some of the equipment below! Students from 4 schools got the opportunity to ask CERN scientists about the equipment they use, how their work involves magnets and other questions about nuclear physics they had. The open Chat meant it was quick and easy for aspiring physicists to drop in and find out about CERN life.

An image of some of the complex equipment used at CERN. There are pipes and wires everywhere. — This kind of machinery is critical to the experiments being performed at CERN by ISOLDE and other teams!

Patrick MacGregor was taking part in the Chat yesterday!
See more about his work ❯

Patrick is part of the ISOLDE team. They use lasers to separate out elements they want to study as well as countless other things.

An image of a man sitting down, smiling and pointing at a computer screen.

Check out some of the topic of conversation in yesterday’s chat! Take a look at the rest of the Chat to find out more about the use of magnets and lasers at CERN.
Magnets and Lasers Chat ❯

A screenshot from a live chat. Laiqaa types "What do you use lasers for specifically in your experiments? Do they detect the presence of particles, tell you their
properties, supply energy to a sampleetc?"
Dan responds " I use lasers to supply charge for sensors I am testing. We essentially measure a ratio of "Charge
Measured"/"Charge Injected" to measure the gain of a device, which is an important characteristic for a detector"
Volpe responds "in AEgIS we mainly use lasers for exciting positronium atoms, for ionising them to detect them"
Chris responds "For us lasers are really important for allowing us to choose which element we separate. We produce over a
thousand different isotopes in a very hot and chaotic target. We typically only want to study one of these so we tune a laser
beam to be just the right energy to ionise the element we want to study, which we can then separate with a magnet. They're also great for an experimental technique called "laser spectroscopy". Different nuclear properties
change the energy levels of electrons in an atom very slightly but with a very carefully tuned laser, you can probe what these
differences are to work out more about the nucleus" — Just some of the fascinating conversation taking place in the chat yesterday!

Next live chat: Tuesday 7 March 12.30pm to 1.30pm GMT

The next live Chat for all students will highlight Careers around particle physics! Scientists from CERN will be able to answer any questions you have about physics careers; from where to start, to where it can take you!

Get prepared by taking a look at the team and scientist profiles. If you’ve got a question for the scientists, you can ask them in the live Chat. Scientist profiles ❯

Challenge yourself!

If you’re ready to challenge yourself, have a go at the latest quiz! You could win a £20 voucher by taking part! Go to the Quiz ❯

A blue circle with the text 'Win £20!' in purple, with two purple money notes in top left corner.

An application form with a pen in the bottom right corner, on top of a light blue circle with a pink upwards arrow in top right corner.

Boost your UCAS application

Show your passion for science. Engage with the researchers about their work to demonstrate your interest in, and understanding of, particle physics. Deepen your scientific knowledge through the kind of academic sources you’ll use at university and beyond.

Posted on February 22, 2023 by modmax in News. Tagged isolde. Leave a comment