BIG BANG - Visitor Centre Rolf Landua CERN

Goals of BIG BANG Provide an exciting and authentic image of CERN Make particle physics a visual and exciting experience Make CERN known to a much wider public Because we need to... - Improve the mediation of our goals and results (CERN depends entirely on public funding) - Offer an attractive guided tour to our visitors (no visits to LHC experiments possible) - Increase the public awareness of CERN (which does not correspond to its leading role) - Create a unique educational resource to create interest in fundamental physics (useful for high schools and the broad public)

Relation of BIG BANG and CERN 1998Small ad-hoc group* forms at CERN ( ‘PRISM’ ). Goal: define a project replacing the present CERN visits in the LHC era; financing by sponsorship 1999DG allocates resources for project study with advisors from ‘Cite de la Science, La Villette, Paris’. 2000Project study with content definition and site selection, to CERN Directorate. 2001Directorate takes note of report. Boundary condition: capital/operation cost covered by sponsoring. Encourages ‘Business Plan’ and investigation of possible sponsors. * M. Buhler-Broglin, S. Cittolin, J. Ellis, C. Fabjan, G. Hentsch, H.F. Hoffmann, R. Landua, E. Sanders + architects + administrators

Design (1) - Criteria Visualize the meaning of these discoveries and create personal involvement by - elevation above the realities of daily life (human adventure of Science; the Origin of the Universe, the Laws of Nature) - intellectual stimulation (mysteries of the Universe, link between smallest and largest structures) - emotional involvement (origin of matter = your origin; if the Laws of Nature were different ?) - FUN Link with CERN research by telling and displaying “Stories about Science” Intellectual and emotional impact by focussing on one subject: the link between Particle Physics - Big Bang - Evolution of Matter - Our cosmic origins

Design (2) - Concept Gateway Voyage into Matter Travel to the First Day World of CERN Beyond Human Perception Virtual Travel Agency

1 - Gateway to the Universe Our place in space and time - You are part of the Universe - See and hear the cosmos in action (particle tracks, echo of Big Bang) Entrance ‘dome’ - projection of stars and galaxies - Spark chamber array - A/V equipment for multilingual introduction

2. Voyage into Matter - At Large in the Small World Experience the smallest dimensions - ‘See’ the small worlds (microchips, cells, DNA, molecules, atoms, nuclei, quarks, strings?) - Only one Nature (but different disciplines of Science) - Hierarchy of particles and forces “Spiral into matter” - succession of ‘landscapes’, changing scale (x 1000) at each transition - enter at scale of 1 m, finish at Planck scale Satellites - hands-on experiments at each level - demonstration of effects relevant at this length/time scale Milli- Micro- Nano- Pico- Femto- Planck-

3. The Big World - Travel to the first day Witness the Beginning - Universe is in motion - There was a beginning - Evolution of matter and forces - Cosmic evolution Planetarium-like theatre - high quality, entertaining film - travel back 15 billion years - witness all significant events in the creation of ‘our’ matter Satellite stations: Link to the research done at CERN Origin of mass (ATLAS, CMS) Broken symmetries (LHCb) Cosmic soup (ALICE) Antimatter (AD) Life - made in stars (ISOLDE)

4. The World of CERN How Particle Physics works : - Accelerator model with real components - Real size detector - CERN technology, applications, WWW - History, Personalities - R&D for the Future Authentic environment - Accelerator, Detector, Technology exhibits - Hands-on experiments SIMULATOR RIDE - Visitor= proton, gets accelerated, collides - Transformation into Higgs - Decay, Tracking in detector

5. Beyond Human Perception (1) Confront the reality ‘beyond human perception’ Experience old and new ‘mysteries’ of physics - Relativity - Quantum Physics - Antimatter - Vacuum Fluctuations - Dark Matter, Higgs particle, Supersymmetry - Higher Dimensions Interactive Models - visitor action plus computer simulation Demonstration Experiments Virtual reality display

5. Beyond Human Perception (2) - Example: Relativity Interactive Model for Special Relativity - Visitor on computer-controlled bicycle - Computer displays virtual reality landscape - Approaching the ‘speed of light’ : - mass increases (not speed) - difficulties in sharp bends - difficult to accelerate more - Lorentz contraction (landscape!) - time dilatation On return - twin brother has become ‘older’

5. Beyond Human Perception (3) - Example: Antimatter Demonstration Experiment: Antimatter Antiprotons are captured at AD (unique place in the world) Portable Penning trap brings captured antiprotons to BIG BANG Annihilation of 100 antiprotons on demand Visualized by optical (streamer) chamber

6. Virtual Travel Agency Guided Tour to Virtual Worlds Some examples: - Particle Collisions in LHC - In the first instants of the Big Bang - Inside an Accelerator - Inside an atom - At the outskirts of a black hole - Another Universe with different Laws of Nature Virtual Reality environment - for persons plus one guide (teacher, scientist) - visitor action allows interactive exploration of virtual world - questions can be asked and answered without leaving the virtual world

BIG BANG - Fact Sheet (1) Location

BIG BANG - Fact Sheet (2) No. of visitors250’000 per year (target) Administrated byBIG BANG foundation (CERN + Sponsors) Floor space7’500 m 2 + experimental area (former UA1) External space14’000 m 2 Construction time51 months Fund raising InaugurationMarch 2007 Capital Cost69 MCHF (9 MCHF = land, scientific input, administration) Personnel50 staff Operational Cost7.1 MCHF / year Revenues7.1 MCHF / year, through: Admissions (20 CHF/adult, discount for schools, families, etc.) Merchandizing, in-kind contributions CERN

Next steps - Fundraising brochure and business plan (nearly) complete - Find sponsors (60 MCHF) - Decision by CERN to go ahead - Creation of BIG BANG foundation - Transform concept into detailed design (needs your help) - Start construction end-2002