The Society launched a competition to suggest an
inspiring name for the 17 mile circumference machine, which is going to
smash its first particles next week at the European Organisation for
Nuclear Research in Geneva, known by its French acronym Cern.
After
sifting more than 2,500 responses, ranging from The Big Banger to
Infinite Devil Machine and The Matter Splatterer, it has now selected a
winner to rechristen the vast enterprise.
Fed up with "the contrived acronyms that plague the world of science," the RSC says it "picked a suggestion which is simple, memorable, and brings to mind the deserved grandeur of perhaps the most important experiment ever built."
"Halo conjures visions of radiant beauty, power and wisdom. The circle of light reflects the collider's form; it is a crowning achievement of science and engineering. It also gives more than a nod to the experiment's importance to religious debate.