30-ton foot

Pakistan does not have a long history of domestic particle physics experiments, but the country is nevertheless finding ways to contribute to international efforts. After signing an agreement in 1997 with CERN, the European particle physics laboratory, the Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission's company, Scientific and Engineering Services, constructed a set of large steel feet that support the 12,500 tons of magnet in the CMS detector for the Large Hadron Collider. Each foot alone weighs 30 tons. The feet were constructed in Taxila, Pakistan, and then traveled by truck, ship, and train to the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.

David Harris