To recreate conditions similar to those of the very early universe, powerful accelerators make head-on collisions between massive ions, such as gold or lead nuclei. Learn more about CERN's heavy ion collisions here.
On 6 October, the total integrated luminosity passed the symbolic mark of 100 fb⁻¹, exceeding the forecast curve. This allowed the bunch intensity to be increased to explore the intensity reach and limitations in view of the HL-LHC era
As the 2025 LHC run enters its final ten weeks, strong performance pushes luminosity past 90 inverse femtobarns, while lead-ion preparations are ahead of schedule
On 19 May, the LHC reached 1200 bunches per beam, a level that is considered meaningful for physics. The full intensity of 2460 bunches per beam could be achieved before the end of the week
Lead-ion physics at the LHC and the SPS North Area is already under way and progressing well. The final lead-ion user in the PS East Area started its physics run on 13 November
Using data from the first heavy-ion run of LHC Run 3 in 2023, the experiment presents the first-ever measurement of D0 meson production in photon-lead collisions