Suppliers win Golden Hadrons
The fourth CERN Golden Hadron awards saw seven suppliers for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) receive recognition for their high quality of work, respect for delivery dates, flexibility, and adaptability to the demanding working conditions of the project.
The awards went to Kemppi-Kempower (Finland), Metso Powdermet (Finland), Transtechnik (Germany), Babcock Noell Nuclear (Germany), Iniziative Industriali (Italy), ZTS VVU Kosšice (Slovakia), and Jehier (France).
Babcock Noell Nuclear (BNN) received its award for the successful production of a third (416 cold dipole masses) of the LHC's superconducting dipole magnets, one of the collider's most critical and complex components. BNN produced the magnets eight months ahead of the contract deadline, delivering high-quality magnets with an exceptional performance, despite the insolvency of its parent company in 2002.
Metso Powdermet manufactured most of the end covers for the LHC superconducting magnets and other cryogenic equipment. Metso stepped in and launched a "crash programme" after the company originally holding the pre-series contract refused to deliver. Metso adapted its unique powder metallurgy technique to the LHC, involving melting fine metal powder in a process that replaces welding and reduces costs.
Jehier has designed, and is now producing and delivering, multi-layer insulation (MLI) blankets for the LHC's superconducting magnets, fulfilling CERN specifications. After the delivery of thousands of MLI blanket sets, no non-conformities have been found. Jehier demonstrated its goodwill and flexibility to adapt its production to numerous requests from CERN during the crisis with the cryogenic distribution line, and the company made considerable efforts to supply at short notice.
A leading manufacturer of arc-welding equipment, Kemppi-Kempower produced the only workable prototype of the high-current and high-precision power converter for the LHC, when faced with competition in 2002 from two other suppliers. Subsequently, the Finnish firm received the contract for pre-series and series delivery, and by July 2005, 82 power converters had been delivered and accepted, constituting 42% of the total production.
At the end of 2002, Transtechnik, who provide power electronics for railway applications, went bankrupt having already delivered successful prototypes of the main quadrupole power converters and four-quadrant power converters for the LHC. Fortunately, another firm, Drosten, took over Transtechnik and all the key engineers remained with the company. Transtechnik is now back on schedule, having recouped the time lost due to the financial difficulties.
Since 2003, Iniziative Industriali has installed more than 1600 tonnes of steel structures and several kilometres of piping in the LHC tunnel and underground caverns.
This is a great achievement, as more than half the design-specification drawings for the steel structures were unavailable when the contract was initially signed. Iniziative Industriali and its subcontractors have adapted their means of production to satisfy CERN's requirements.
The LHC has required the development of very hi-tech handling devices for installing the big, heavy and fragile superconducting magnets in the very confined space of the LHC tunnel. Specialists in machine engineering and electro-technical products, ZTS VVU Kosšice in Slovakia, manufactured five equipment-transfer sets for CERN. These robots can carry the LHC magnets from the transport vehicles inside the tunnel and align them with the magnets' support jacks with high precision (0.1 mm).
Julius Wess receives award from Humboldt-University
Julius Wess has been awarded the degree of Doktor rerum naturalium honoris causa by the Mathematics and Science Faculty I of the Humboldt-University Berlin to mark the occasion of Einstein World Year of Physics 2005. The award ceremony took place on 25 October in the new physics-institute building in Berlin-Adlershof.
The award recognizes numerous scientific contributions Wess has made to mathematical and theoretical physics, and more specifically his contributions to quantum field theory and anomalies, the discovery of supersymmetry, the development of superspace geometry, and his work on non-commutative spacetime. This work, much of which was done in collaboration with Bruno Zumino, continues to play a key role in present efforts to understand the fundamental structure of space, time and matter.