Beamline for Schools (BL4S) is a physics competition for high school students from all around the world organised at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, in Geneva, Switzerland, and DESY, the German Electron Synchrotron, in Hamburg, Germany. Teams of high school students can propose an experiment that they want to perform at a beamline, that is, a part of a particle accelerator. The teams that submit the three best proposals win a trip to CERN or DESY to perform their experiments at a fully-equipped beamline.
What is a beam? ... and a beamline?
In particle physics, the term 'beam' refers to a large number of particles moving in the same direction. These particles can be accelerated to high energies. The term 'beamline' commonly refers to a straight section of a particle accelerator leading the particles to an experimental area.
The latest edition of BL4S
In 2023 two experiments will be performed at a beamline of CERN's Proton Synchrotron and one experiment will be performed at a beamline of the DESY-II synchrotron.
All participants who submitted a proposal have received a certificate. Additional prizes were awarded to the shortlisted teams and the teams with the best video and outreach proposals.
Learn more about BL4S and how to apply for the competition.
