CERN - Large Hadron Collider and the Very Early Universe

Just as an update about the LHC, the latest start up date announced for it is September 10th.CERN | LHC First Beam

I'm sure Son Goku is far more knowledgable on this topic that I am, but in case he/she isn't able to answer for a while, I figured I'd try to help answer your question.Basically, I believe by using the particle accelerator they are able to use extremely high energy to make the small particles, gravitons, which would have access to the additional dimensions. Then, after that, if they detect the energy from the gravitons has just disappeared, this may indicate that that they have escaped to extra dimensions.You may want to read this article, the search for extra dimensions for more info about detecting extra dimensions. The following bit from that article may help answer your question:

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By producing scores of new particles in high-energy collisions, researchers at Fermilab search for indirect evidence that gravitons are entering and exiting our brane. Needless to say, detecting and sifting through the hundreds of particles created in such a collision is rather difficult. "It's an experimental challenge," Fermilab theorist Joe Lykken says with a wry grin.

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One way Fermilab experimentalists including Heinemann and Landsberg hope to detect extra dimensions is to catch a graviton in the act of disappearing into another dimension. Collisions create a symmetrical ball of energy and, like fireworks, particles should spray in all directions. A tell-tale sign of extra dimensions would be a collision in which visible particles sprayed only in one direction, suggesting that an invisible particle traveled in the other direction. This particle could be the key to extra dimensions”a graviton, leaving our visible universe and disappearing into a fourth spatial dimension.

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I was just asking a particle physicist this type of question 2 days ago actually.From what I understand, it will probably be about a year before they even really understand what their detectors are showing. Around that point we can expect some findings, but nothing extremely profound. However, it's not at all unlikely that publicity hounds will be making premature and outrageous claims by that point. Detecting signs of the Higgs boson may likely not be until 2011-2012. That's about when the thorough and reasonable publications about the findings will probably surface. This may be when we find out about extra dimensions research, but I'm not entirely sure in regards to that specific topic.There's one more thing I think I should mention about extra dimensons btw. Many people seem to raise the objection that the idea of energy escaping into other dimensions violates the first law of thermodynamics, conservation of energy. This, from what I understand, doesn't have to be the case however. It would just mean that gravitational energy has access to more dimensions than other forms of energy. The energy would essentially be conserved, it would just be going somewhere we weren't previously aware of. The reason why we wouldn't have notice this effect of energy leakage into another dimensions before, in our normal experience, is because we don't have experience observing gravitons, which can only be made in the extremely high energy environment of a powerful particle accelerator.

Just heard about that, that stinks!

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Incident in LHC sector 34
Geneva, 20 September 2008. During commissioning (without beam) of the final LHC sector (sector 34) at high current for operation at 5 TeV, an incident occurred at mid-day on Friday 19 September resulting in a large helium leak into the tunnel. Preliminary investigations indicate that the most likely cause of the problem was a faulty electrical connection between two magnets, which probably melted at high current leading to mechanical failure. CERN ’s strict safety regulations ensured that at no time was there any risk to people.

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A full investigation is underway, but it is already clear that the sector will have to be warmed up for repairs to take place. This implies a minimum of two months down time for LHC operation. For the same fault, not uncommon in a normally conducting machine, the repair time would be a matter of days.

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Further details will be made available as soon as they are known.

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CERN Press release

The latest: Full press release from CERN

They were up and running for 9 days. Then they had this big problem that would cost them a couple months of time. My understanding about the obligatory winter shutdown is the same as Ned's; has something to do with how expensive power is over there in the winter.

Cool video footage of what happened when they turned on the LHC - lhcEdited by Deftil, : No reason given.