Short Circuit in LHC's Components Delay's Start of Second Run

A glitch in one of its magnetic components will delay the second run of the Large Hadron Collider. The repairs could take anywhere from days to weeks.

According to NBC News, one the collider's eight magnetic sectors witnessed a short circuit, which has to be fixed before the collider starts operation. Though not a big task, repair is expected to take time as the sector remains cryogenically cooled.

"Any cryogenic machine is a time amplifier, so what would have taken hours in a warm machine could end up taking us weeks" said CERN's Director for Accelerators, Frédérick Bordry, in a news release.

LHC was scheduled to start functioning this week after a two-year maintenance hiatus. The technical glitch is not expected to delay its three year run, assured CERN authorities.

"All the signs are good for a great run 2. In the grand scheme of things, a few weeks delay in humankind's quest to understand our universe is little more than the blink of an eye," said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer.

During its last run, LHC had found the elusive Higgs Boson, completing the Standard Model. This time, it is expected to explore dark matter and miniature black holes.