Fitting the pieces together

The insertion operations for the CMS solenoid magnet are now nearing completion. After the outer shell of the vacuum tank and the solenoid itself, the teams inserted the inner wall of the tank and its heat shield into the huge red yoke on 2 November. These spectacular manoeuvres are now being followed up by the painstaking connection work. Once this phase of the work has been completed, leak and pressurisation tests will be carried out on the cooling circuit of the cold mass. The vacuum tank can then be welded shut. It will then be placed under vacuum before the coil is cooled and the power is turned on.