The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) said that its this morning accelerated proton beams 3.5 teraelectronvolts (TeV), the top speed ever for an atom smasher machine.

Late last November, the collider, which sits astride the Swiss/French border, by accelerating two protons at a speed of 1.18 TeV.

CERN said that it's next major step will be to collide beams that have individually accelerated to the 3.5 TeV level. The research organization hasn't scheduled that test yet.

"Getting the beams to 3.5 TeV is testimony to the soundness of the LHC's overall design, and the improvements we've made since the breakdown in September 2008," said Steve Myers, CERN's director for Accelerators and Technology, in a statement. "And it's a great credit to the patience and dedication of the LHC team."

Shortly after the Large Hadron Collider's first test run in September 2008, scientists running the machine disclosed that a faulty electrical connection had . The team initially thought the collider would remain out of service for six months, but later confirmed to Computerworld that the .