Particle physics explores the fundamental building blocks of nature and their interactions, in a quest to understand how they evolved since the first instants of the universe to make what we see around us today.

At CERN, we accelerate particles to extremely high energies, then bring them into collision inside experiments. These collisions are huge concentrations of energy that make new particles. With the Large Hadron Collider, the highest energy accelerator ever built, we are able to study what happened in the universe just after the Big Bang, when the universe was less than a trillionth of a second old.

CERN is an international collaboration where people from over 100 different countries around the world work together towards the common goal of understanding the universe. One of our biggest strengths is the extraordinary diversity of people who contribute to all aspects of the adventure.

The lab is open to visitors wanting to book guided tours behind the scenes. In October 2023, CERN will open a new science centre housing exhibitions, labs and events https://sciencegateway.cern/ For more information on CERN’s current exhibitions see https://visit.cern/ and for our travelling exhibition, multimedia and object loans see https://visit.cern/exhibitions-object-loans