CERN

Following an international call, I was selected, together with 16 other photographers, to take part in a photographic project at CERN in May 2025. During this unique opportunity, we were granted access to various environments within the CERN facilities to capture their complexity and atmosphere through our lenses.

From the collective work, a jury in collaboration with the CERN community selected 21 photographs, to print and show them in front of CERN. Two of my images, "Calculations and Planning" and "-72.2", were among those chosen.

This experience not only allowed me to visit one of the world’s most renowned scientific institutions, but also to visually explore and document the intersection between science, technology, and human work.

Awe

“Awe” is the only word that fits when standing in front of the first accelerator ever built at CERN, the 600-MeV Synchrocyclotron, used Mr and Mrs Fidecaro to discover the pion particle. It’s the same feeling that arises when you pause for a moment and imagine the immense human effort required to bring CERN to life. The huge organization behind the main experiment. Every person becomes a vital figure in a great machine that pushes the boundaries of what we can imagine.

Not a single particle

When building high-performance resonance cavities like this one, cleanliness is critical. Even a single dust particle can compromise efficiency, or even permanently damage the cavity. That’s why, once built, these components are handled only in special controlled environments called clean rooms, where the amount of particles in the air is really low and kept to an minimum to ensure that everything is kept clean.

Will it fit?

Once a component is crafted, precision must be verified, there’s no room for luck when working at CERN. Every piece that enters the accelerator must meet exact specifications to ensure the entire system functions flawlessly. That’s why advanced 3D measurement techniques are used to check every dimension. Using laser scanning, performed by the instrument visible in the top right corner, technicians can measure dimensions with an accuracy of up to a few microns.

Acceleration through resonation

To bring particles close to the speed of light, you need to accelerate them with extreme precision. This is made possible by resonant cavities, special devices at the heart of LHC, that throught electromagnetic resonances are able to accelerate the particles. Each one is meticulously crafted, measured, and handled with care. Even a single dust particle can reduce its performance, so perfection is essential.

-72.2

Among the many upgrades for the High-Luminosity LHC, a new access point to the 27-kilometre ring is being built, together with brand new access galleries. The green door is the elevator’s door that takes you -72.2 m below the surface. This new entrance and galleries will allow the installation of advanced instruments, supporting the next generation of experiments. For now, the space stands quite empty but soon, it will come alive with technology, activity, and the people who make it all possible.

Specialists

In the new galleries of the High-Luminosity LHC, specialized technicians carry out critical tasks to keep the project on schedule. Cutting, welding, and assembling components with millimetric precision, they prepare the infrastructure that will host the next generation of high-energy experiments. Behind every spark, there’s craftsmanship, expertise, and teamwork, essential elements of CERN’s progress that are often carried out in the shadows, far from the main spotlights.

Craftsmanship

Inside the High-Luminosity LHC project, many essential people work far from the spotlight: workmen, specialists, technicians, whose work is rarely recognized by the wider public. Yet, CERN simply wouldn’t exist without them. Every building, instrument, and gallery relies on their expertise, enabling scientists to carry out groundbreaking particle physics research. They are essential links in a chain that would break if even one was missing.

Superconductors testing

Particles inside the LHC don’t travel in straight lines, they need to turn, and that’s where powerful electromagnets come in. These magnets rely on superconductors: special materials that, when cooled to extremely low temperatures, conduct electricity with zero resistance. Before being installed in the accelerator, every superconductor must be carefully tested. That’s the job of the “Superconducting Laboratory,” where each unit is verified to ensure it performs flawlessly in its final position.

Women in STEM

CERN’s Diversity & Inclusion Programme is advancing the “25 by ’25” strategy, aiming to raise the proportion of women at CERN from 21% in 2020 to 25% by the end of 2025. While the numbers may seem small, each percentage point represents real women and real progress. In recent years, more and more women have entered STEM fields, breaking barriers and contributing with their expertise in all STEM topics from physics to computing. Their growing presence is not only shaping modern science, but it’s building a more inclusive and dynamic future.