[Kerrowdown]

Now there's something you don't see every day.

[Sailor]

Very cool! It happens that I'm currently reading Michael Hiltzik's recent book on Ernest Lawrence who created the cyclotron and helped make Berkeley a powerhouse of academic science.

Jer

[DeadJohn]

The accelerator pictured above is RHIC, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Some local residents opposed its construction because they feared it would create a black hole.

A few more from one of the experiment bays. Click through for larger versions to see all the wiring.





And the control room:

[UncleVanya]

Neat!

[waterfall]

Maybe that explains the disappearance of the opponents. LOL.

[rayallen]

Amazing images. That's got to be up there with rocket science. I'm impressed.

[forensicscientist]

Pretty cool!

[jpzk]

Fascinating ! .... As Sheldon Cooper would say !

[DeadJohn]

Access to the accelerator was surprisingly easy. They offer scheduled tours through parts of the facility during the summer. I didn't need to sign up in advance or even show an ID. (My office, meanwhile, which mostly handles administrative paperwork, has nonsensical security that has x-rayed visitors' coffee cups.)

The large accelerator pictured above is mostly below ground, for shielding purposes as well as prohibitive costs to construct such an enormous building. Here's a bonus exterior photo of a new "small" accelerator:

[clackers]

Thanks John, for wonderful photos of a wonderful place.

And it's still less radioactive than a Super Takumar (see other thread). 😛