From bubble chambers to electronic systems: 25 years of evolution in particle detectors at CERN (1979–2004)

The European Organization for nuclear research (CERN) celebrates in October 2004 its 50th anniversary. A centre of excellence for elementary particle physics research, the laboratory has contributed to the development of advanced technologies for the construction of powerful accelerators and experiments. As a follow-up of the article published by this journal in 1980, on the occasion of CERNʹs 25th anniversary, this contribution describes the developments of particle detectors and experimental set-ups that took place in the laboratory during the last 25 years.