Bringing particle physics to the Frankfurt Book Fair

CERN is showcasing its science at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany from 10-14 October

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Bringing particle physics to the Frankfurt Book Fair

A visitor kicks virtual particles around the LHC-tunnel mock-up at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Image: Rolf Landua/CERN)

CERN is showcasing its science at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany from 10-14 October. As well as a range of books looking at the science of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the laboratory is unveiling a new interactive LHC-time-tunnel display and announcing a collaboration with games developer Rovio to develop new educational resources for children linked to their award-winning Angry Birds game.

“We’re thrilled to bring particle physics to the world’s largest book fair,” says Rolf Landua, head of CERN’s Education and Outreach group. “This is the official launch of our new interactive tunnel, which we look forward to integrating into future exhibitions. But as a special treat for this book fair, you may see some birds flying through it!”

The LHC time tunnel, built especially for the book fair, takes people into the world of subatomic particles by using state-of-the-art motion sensors and projectors to visualise the effect of the Higgs field. Visitors can visualise protons moving inside the LHC and kick virtual particles as hard as they can to see how they collide (see image).

The CERN stand is based around a partial reconstruction of the CERN Control Centre, complete with live LHC-status updates on the screens. Popular science books about CERN are on display, as well as the first computer used by Tim Berners-Lee to develop the original World Wide Web software, and the antimatter trap used as a prop in the Hollywood blockbuster Angels & Demons.