CERN’s first big particle accelerator starts up

During the first hours of the start-up of the PS in the control room, from left to right: John Adams, Hans Geibel, Hildred Blewett, Chris Schmelzer, Lloyd Smith, Wolfgang Schnell, and Pierre Germain.

The Proton Synchrotron (PS) accelerates protons for the first time on 24 November, at the energy of 24 GeV, briefly becoming the world’s highest–energy particle accelerator. With a circumference of 628 metres, it is CERN’s first big particle accelerator. The PS continues to provide beams for experiments to this day, in addition to being an injector for larger machines.