CERN begins cryogenic tests on a 95-meter LHC prototype ahead of a 2030 upgrade that will boost collision rates tenfold.

CERN has started full-scale cryogenic testing of a 95-meter prototype for the High-Luminosity LHC, a major upgrade set to launch in 2030. The test, which cools a system of new niobium-tin magnets to 1.9 K, validates critical components like cryogenics, power, and alignment under real conditions. The upgrade will boost the LHC’s collision rate tenfold, enabling the production of up to 380 million Higgs bosons over its lifetime and enhancing studies of fundamental particles and rare phenomena. The project involves global collaboration and is on track for a long shutdown beginning in mid-2026 to install upgrades to detectors and the accelerator complex.