The LHC comprises over 1.000 powerful magnets occupying a subterranean tunnel that runs in a ring for 27 km. The magnets carry two beams of particles around the ring at speeds close to the speed of light. At certain points along this ring, the beams cross over, causing some of the particles to collide head-on. Each of the four huge LHC experiments, including the CMS, sits near one of these crossing points. These experiments, or detectors, will capture and measure new particles produced in the collisions. These could point to new phenomena beyond the so-called standard model of physics – a framework to explain the interactions of sub-atomic particles.
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