World’s Particle Physics Labs Take Amateur Photographers Behind the Scenes

Geneva, 8 July 2010 - Picture this: For the first time, amateur photographers around the world collide with the past, present and future of particle physics. Five of the world’s leading particle physics laboratories will make the image a reality when they join together to host a Particle Physics Photowalk on 7 August. More than 200 people will have the rare opportunity to photograph state-of-the-art accelerators and detectors in all their beauty and complexity. Photographers will benefit from special behind-the-scenes access to laboratories in Asia, Europe and North America, with tours tailored to the creative eye. In Europe, highlights include the future of the CERN laboratory, with visits to the Compact Linear Collider test facility and the LHC’s new linear accelerator currently under construction. At the DESY laboratory in Germany, photographers will view the past and present of particle physics during a visit to the former underground home of the HERA B detector, where new particle detectors are now being built and tested. At Japan’s KEK laboratory, highlights include the large Belle particle detector, photon factory, and two test facilities for innovative particle accelerators.