God particle: Indore tech centre played key role

Bhopal: Indore-based Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), a Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) facility, has played a major role in the supply of vital parts for Large Hadron Collider of European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

The scientists at CERN on Wednesday claimed to have spotted a sub-atomic particle "consistent" with the Higgs boson or 'God particle', believed to be a crucial building block that led to the formation of the universe.

RRCAT was the nodal agency from the DAE for the ambitious LHC project, sources associated with the project at the institute told PTI.

Besides RRCAT, Indore-based Indo-German Tool Room (IGTR) also played a major role in the development of jacks on which the 27-km long LHC is positioned, IGTR Manager, Consultant and Marketing, CS Sharma said.

Under an agreement of DAE and CERN, Centre for Advanced Technology developed a number of sub-systems for the world's largest particle accelerator - the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the sources said.

According to RRCAT's website, LHC has more than 1,600 superconducting magnets along its circumference for bending and focusing the beams. These huge magnet assemblies, each weighing more than 32 tonnes with a length of 15 meters, need to be positioned with a precision of 50 micrometre all along the 27 km length.

RRCAT conceptualised, designed and developed precision-positioning devices that allow precise positioning of these huge magnets in the tunnel and maintenance of these devices, they said.

These devices, called precision magnet positioning system (PMPS) jacks, enable a person to move the huge magnet and position it with a very high setting resolution.

As many as 6,800 of these devices are being made by the Indian firm and supplied to CERN under the agreement.

More than 2,400 jacks have been shipped to CERN, after successful manufacturing and testing at IGTR, Indore and Avasarala Automation Limited, Bangalore.

Scientists at RRCAT also played a role in the measurement and analysis of Super Conducting Dipole Magnets, the sources said.