Giant 'atom smasher' to be switched on again next week

London, Feb 20 (ANI): Scientists at the laboratory that operates the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have said that the giant atom smasher will be switched on again next week.

The particle accelerator was shut down for the Christmas period shortly after setting the record for the highest particle energies ever attained.

According to BBC News, over the coming months, scientists aim to smash that record again as the experiments aim for energies of some seven trillion electron volts (TeV).

However, 2010's start will be at much lower, so-called "injection energies".

In the ensuing weeks, the energies will be increased, past last year's record of 2.36 TeV and toward the 7 TeV goal.

"We went into a technical shutdown over Christmas and we're now ready to switch it back on again," a spokesperson for Cern, the Swiss laboratory that hosts the LHC, told BBC News.

She said that the switch-on would be "after Monday", but said a firm date had not yet been set. (ANI)