The magnets for the LHC experiments

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) presently under construction at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) will provide proton- proton collisions at the 14 TeV level. Each of the four approved detectors (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb) to be installed at the interaction points of this machine relies on a sophisticated magnet system for separation and momentum measurements of the charged particles. The magnets are being designed, manufactured, tested and installed under the technical and financial responsibility of the experiment collaborations, but must satisfy constraints imposed by the laboratory, regarding in particular the cryogenics, powering, controls, and safety. The delivery and assembly schedules are also highly constrained by the requirement to have the magnet systems fully installed before the projected commissioning of the accelerator in 2005. The report compares the salient features of these magnet systems, and of their integration into the CERN environment. (15 refs).