The Large Hadron Collider’s 2015 restart at higher energy after two-year upgrade, and subsequent 2022 restart at record energies, continued hunting for physics beyond the Standard Model while debunking apocalyptic “black hole” fears.
The Upgrade Cycles
After discovering Higgs boson, LHC shut down 2013-2015 for upgrades, restarting at 13 TeV (teraelectronvolts)—higher energy enabling new discoveries. The 2015 restart attracted media attention: would it find supersymmetry? Dark matter particles? New fundamental forces? While no revolutionary discoveries emerged, precision measurements tested Standard Model limits. The 2019-2022 shutdown prepared Run 3 at 13.6 TeV, with social media covering each restart as potential breakthrough moment.
The “End of World” Mythology
LHC repeatedly faced apocalyptic fears: creating Earth-destroying black holes, opening portals to other dimensions, or triggering vacuum decay ending universe. Scientists patiently debunked these, explaining cosmic rays hit Earth with higher energies constantly, and theory predicted any microscopic black holes would evaporate instantly. Yet fears persisted on social media, demonstrating science communication challenges when dealing with extraordinary technology most people can’t comprehend. The mythology reflected genuine awe mixed with misunderstanding.
The Citizen Science Engagement
CERN pioneered public engagement: live webcams of experiments, social media explaining findings in accessible language, and LHC@home allowing public to donate computing power for data analysis. This transparency transformed particle physics from inaccessible specialty to followed drama. While discoveries weren’t as dramatic as Higgs, the process demonstrated Big Science’s continued push toward understanding reality’s fundamental nature, with millions following via Twitter despite limited grasp of underlying physics.
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