Large Electron–Positron Collider
| General properties | |
|---|---|
| Accelerator type | Synchrotron |
| Beam type | Electrons, positrons |
| Target type | Collider |
| Beam properties | |
| Maximum energy | 209 GeV |
| Maximum current | 6.2 mA |
| Maximum luminosity | 1×1032/(cm2⋅s) |
| Physical properties | |
| Circumference | 26659 m |
| Location | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°14′06″N 06°02′42″E / 46.23500°N 6.04500°E |
| Institution | CERN |
| Dates of operation | 1989–2000 |
| Succeeded by | Large Hadron Collider |
The Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP) was one of the largest particle accelerators ever constructed. It was built at CERN, a multi-national centre for research in nuclear and particle physics near Geneva, Switzerland.
LEP collided electrons with positrons at energies that reached 209 GeV. It was a circular collider with a circumference of 27 kilometres built in a tunnel roughly 100 m (300 ft) underground and passing through Switzerland and France. LEP was used from 1989 until 2000. Around 2001 it was dismantled to make way for the Large Hadron Collider, which re-used the LEP tunnel. To date, LEP is the most powerful accelerator of leptons ever built.