Fermilab Scientists Power Up Massive Electromagnet

An effort to study extremely short-lived subatomic particles is under way in Batavia, where a 17-ton, 52-foot-wide electromagnet was cooled down and powered up to conduct the experiment.

Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory scientists are studying muons, a subatomic particle that lives only 2.2 millionths of a second. The magnet is a key part of the long-term experiment, reports The Beacon News in Aurora.

The Muon g-2 electromagnet now at Fermilab was originally used for the Muon g-2 experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New Jersey two years ago. In 2013, the magnet was transported from Long Island to Fermilab, where more than 3,000 people from the community came to witness its arrival.

Scientists had to cool the magnet to 450 degrees in September to turn it on. Project manager Chris Polly told the newspaper that Fermilab’s best minds weren’t quite sure what would happen.

“It was a huge relief to see it come back to life,” Polly said.

The experiment will take more than two years to complete.