| |
|
Ah, but CERN is also a HEP institute:
About CERN's Name
The historical legacy
In 1951, a provisional body was created called the "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire" (CERN). This was a council: a body of people. In 1953 the Council decided to build a central laboratory near Geneva. At that time, pure physics research concentrated on understanding the inside of the atom, hence the word "nuclear".
As ratified by the parliaments of the member states, the convention specifies that the laboratory is officially called the "Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire" or "European Organization for Nuclear Research" (*).
However, the name of the Council stuck to the organization, which is why we are referred to in the literature as simply "CERN".
This is also the reason for the common mistake to think of the "C" of CERN as the first letter of "Centre", but the "C" stands for "Council".
Very soon, the work at the laboratory went beyond the study of the atomic nucleus, on into higher and higher energy densities.
Scientists here look for effects between the forces of nature that become noticeable only at very high energies.
Therefore, from early on, we have been a High-Energy Physics institute, or a "HEP" institute.
Because this activity is mainly concerned with the study of interactions between particles, we are also commonly referred to as the "European Laboratory for Particle Physics" ("Laboratoire européen pour la physique des particules") and it is this latter title that really describes the current work of the laboratory.
To summarize
As an outsider, you may refer to us as "CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics near Geneva", but for legal reasons we will always communicate with you as the "European Organization for Nuclear Research".
CERN staff must use the official name in all CERN published materials.
CERN's name is an umbrella, a massive polyglot legal catchall which replaces the less handy CERN: ELPPG and other possible names with a single somehow latinate, godlike syllable... |
|
|
