In this page you will be guided through various video clips that show the construction of the ALEPH detector. The ALEPH collaboration, and indeed, the particle physics community, is indebted to Filmmaker Lynn Silverman Gaillard, who patiently recorded the construction of ALEPH over four years. Her full video is over 70 minutes long and captures much more of the spirit of the collaboration.

The various components of the detector are constructed in a variety of countries as is shown in the clips. The character and style of each country is striking. The pieces are brought together in international collaboration at the CERN cite where the detector is assembled.

The clips begin with the excavation of the LEP tunnel and the cavern that will house the ALEPH detector. The TPC, electromagnetic calorimeter, superconducting solenoid and hadron calorimeter construction can be viewed in the video clips. The assembly of the detector into its final whole, ready for data taking, is then shown. And of course, when one is finished building such a detector, one has to take out time to collect a Nobel prize!

The pastoral scene above the ground in France, near Geneva, Switzerland gives little indication of the activity occurring underground. This video clip shows earth moving machinery is being moved 130 metres under the earth in order to excavate a cavern for the ALEPH experiment and to build a tunnel 27 meters in circumference.

Spring is above ground, and the final celebrations surrounding the joining the ends of the 27km tunnel are happening under ground. A view of the tunnel from an electron's standpoint is seen in this clip.

The various detector elements are being prepared. The operation of the TPC is illustrated in this cartoon.

The construction of the TPC chambers is a delicate operation. This work was carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich.

The TPC modules are then tranported to CERN and inserted into the endplates with great care.

The solenoid is made of special cable that is superconducting. The cable was manufactured at Saclay, near Paris, France and is shown here being wound on to the spool for the solenoid.

The massive solenoid measures 7m in length and 5.84m in diameter. It carries 5000 A of current and creates a 1.5 Tesla magnetic field. This must now be transported from its construction location outside Paris to Geneva. In this sequence, the contrast of lovely French towns and a high-tech object is noted!

A rotating frame is used to place the wire onto frames for the electromagnetic calorimeter. This work was done in Saclay, near Paris, France.

The frames are then layered with pieces of lead to form the calorimeter elements.

The hadron calorimeter chambers must be inserted into the steel of that detector. The Italians have a certain style for doing this, as is shown in this clip.

After the individual pieces are assembled, they must be built into a detector. This clip shows the prepared cavern and the assembly of the hadron calorimeter. The calorimeter also serves the purpose of supporting the rest of the detector and it is the steel for returning the magnetic flux for the solenoid. Even when dealing with the 2580 tonnes of steel, the mechanical work is precise and care must be taken. A bit of mountain climbing talent is also required!

The solenoid is lowered into the cavern, and inserted into the steel. The Electromagnetic calorimeter is inserted into the solenoid.

The various parts of the tracking systems are then inserted, one inside the other.

And at the end of the day, you go to Stockholm to collect your Nobel prize.