New Director of Cern, Professor Mark Thomson, Approves Shutdown of Historic LHC - a Major Upgrade Awaits.
When Mark Thomson takes over as director general of Cern, the world's premier particle physics laboratory on January 1st, he'll be in charge of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a massive machine that recreated conditions near the Big Bang. However, one of his first decisions will be to shut down the LHC for five years to perform critical engineering work. The shutdown is part of an ambitious upgrade project aimed at squeezing the collider's proton beams and making them brighter.
The new superconducting magnets being installed will raise the number of collisions tenfold, according to Thomson, who calls it "an incredibly exciting project." By increasing the luminosity, scientists hope to make more precise measurements of particles and their interactions, potentially revealing cracks in current theories. However, one puzzle remains: why elementary particles gain masses from the Higgs field.
Thomson's tenure will focus on completing this high-luminosity LHC upgrade, which is expected to cost £14 billion. But a much larger, more contentious project also looms on his horizon - the Future Circular Collider (FCC). The proposed machine would be nearly four times the size of the LHC and would require an enormous new tunnel to be built 400 meters underground.
The FCC faces significant engineering challenges and financial hurdles, as Cern's member states struggle to foot the massive £15 billion bill. A debate is ongoing over whether it's the best project for making new discoveries, with many questioning whether it can address some of physics' biggest mysteries, such as dark matter or gravity.
Thomson remains optimistic, stating that "our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level." The future of Cern and its role in advancing scientific knowledge hangs in the balance, with the LHC's successor playing a pivotal role.
When Mark Thomson takes over as director general of Cern, the world's premier particle physics laboratory on January 1st, he'll be in charge of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a massive machine that recreated conditions near the Big Bang. However, one of his first decisions will be to shut down the LHC for five years to perform critical engineering work. The shutdown is part of an ambitious upgrade project aimed at squeezing the collider's proton beams and making them brighter.
The new superconducting magnets being installed will raise the number of collisions tenfold, according to Thomson, who calls it "an incredibly exciting project." By increasing the luminosity, scientists hope to make more precise measurements of particles and their interactions, potentially revealing cracks in current theories. However, one puzzle remains: why elementary particles gain masses from the Higgs field.
Thomson's tenure will focus on completing this high-luminosity LHC upgrade, which is expected to cost £14 billion. But a much larger, more contentious project also looms on his horizon - the Future Circular Collider (FCC). The proposed machine would be nearly four times the size of the LHC and would require an enormous new tunnel to be built 400 meters underground.
The FCC faces significant engineering challenges and financial hurdles, as Cern's member states struggle to foot the massive £15 billion bill. A debate is ongoing over whether it's the best project for making new discoveries, with many questioning whether it can address some of physics' biggest mysteries, such as dark matter or gravity.
Thomson remains optimistic, stating that "our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level." The future of Cern and its role in advancing scientific knowledge hangs in the balance, with the LHC's successor playing a pivotal role.
I mean, come on, £14 billion for an upgrade project? That's like throwing money at the problem without even questioning if it's the right solution 
. Meanwhile, we've got dark matter and gravity still unsolved, and we're throwing billions at this next-generation collider? It seems like Cern is playing a game of musical chairs with funding priorities 
.
It feels like we're stuck in an infinite loop of scientific progress 
. And don't even get me started on the FCC – is it a case of "if you can afford it, throw more money at it" syndrome? 
. I mean, what's the point of closing down a machine that's already revolutionized our understanding of the universe? Five years is a long time, and I hope they can get the upgrade done ASAP 
. But on the bright side, it's not like they're just going to sit idle - there's all this new tech being developed for the high-luminosity LHC that could lead to some game-changing discoveries 
. And who knows, maybe the FCC thing will actually happen and we'll get answers to some of those big mysteries like dark matter 
. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a future where physics is more awesome than ever 
!
but seriously though if the FCC can crack that puzzle, it'll be lit 
. More precise measurements and potentially revealing some major cracks in our understanding of the universe is like, totally mind-blowing! 
But I gotta say, £14 billion is a crazy amount to shell out for something that's still unclear if it'll be worth it. And don't even get me started on this FCC thing... it sounds like a huge undertaking with too many unknowns 
. The universe is still full of mysteries and I'm here for the ride 
, but I get it, upgrades are necessary 
! Mark Thomson's got some big shoes to fill 
, and this high-luminosity upgrade could be a game-changer 
. I'm all for pushing the boundaries of science & exploring new theories 
! The FCC is a whole different beast 
, and I'm not sure if it's worth the hype 
#CERN #LHC #FCC #ParticlePhysics #ScienceMatters
I mean, £14 billion is a huge amount of money! What if it doesn't even pay off? 
It's not like they can just switch to a different project overnight. 
. Five years is a long time, especially considering all the data they'll be losing in that window 
.
. I mean, we've been playing with particle physics for decades and still can't crack the code on dark matter or gravity 
. Maybe it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate our priorities? Just sayin'
. I mean, I get it, upgrading is necessary, but five years is a long time... all those scientists who've spent their careers studying that machine will have to wait even longer for new results 
. And £14 billion for just the upgrade? That's crazy 
- shutting down the LHC for 5 years is crazy! I mean, sure, they're gonna make it more efficient and all that, but what about the research that's already being done? It feels like we're just gonna lose momentum here. And £14 billion? That's a pretty penny 
But I guess that's not how science works, right? We gotta keep pushing boundaries and taking risks. Fingers crossed it all pays off 
!
. And what's with all these huge machines and tunnels? Can't they just stick to their research and leave the engineering to someone else? 
I don't think we should be so quick to assume the FCC is a waste of resources. £15 billion may seem like a lot, but what if it leads to life-changing breakthroughs? We need scientists like Mark Thomson who are willing to take risks and push the boundaries of human knowledge. Shutting down the LHC for five years might not be ideal, but think about all the amazing discoveries that came from the Large Electron-Positron Collider back in the day! 
! I'm so stoked for Professor Mark Thomson taking over as director general of Cern! 
. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to explore the mysteries of dark matter and gravity? 
. £15 billion is insane 
. Can't wait to see what Thomson comes up with 
A 5-year shutdown for the LHC? It's like we're taking two steps forward and three back! All that work on upgrading the collider to make it more precise and now we're just going to sit around waiting for 5 years?! 
to see those proton beams get squeezed & made brighter! But at the same time, I'm worried about the timeline, 5 years is a looong time 
.