Mark Thomson, a professor of experimental particle physics at Cambridge University, has landed one of the most coveted jobs in global science - becoming the director general of Cern, the multi-Nobel prize-winning nuclear physics laboratory on the outskirts of Geneva. His appointment marks a significant milestone for the institution, but his leadership style is already sparking debate.
Thomson's tenure as director general will begin in January, with one of the first orders of business being to shut down the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest scientific instrument ever built, for a five-year engineering overhaul. The LHC, which has been instrumental in making groundbreaking discoveries such as the Higgs boson, will remain offline until Thomson's term is nearly over.
When asked about his plan to turn off the machine, Thomson expressed excitement about the upcoming upgrades, citing the prospect of discovering new physics and unraveling some of the universe's greatest mysteries. The high-luminosity LHC project aims to squeeze protons through the collider at unprecedented energies, resulting in tenfold increases in collisions.
However, beneath the surface, a much larger challenge awaits Thomson - deciding what comes next for the LHC after it reaches the end of its lifespan around 2041. A colossal machine called the Future Circular Collider (FCC) is being considered as its successor, boasting a massive size and estimated construction cost of $15 billion.
The debate surrounding the FCC's viability has sparked controversy among Cern member states, who must vote on the project in 2028. Critics argue that it may not be the most effective machine for making new discoveries, potentially falling short in answering fundamental questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the universe's underlying forces.
Despite these concerns, Thomson remains committed to advancing human understanding of the universe. "We've not got to the point where we have stopped making discoveries," he emphasizes. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level."
Ultimately, whether Cern will retain its position as a global leader in particle physics depends on the success of its next-generation collider. As Thomson assumes his new role, it remains to be seen how he will navigate these complex challenges and chart a course for future scientific breakthroughs.
Thomson's tenure as director general will begin in January, with one of the first orders of business being to shut down the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest scientific instrument ever built, for a five-year engineering overhaul. The LHC, which has been instrumental in making groundbreaking discoveries such as the Higgs boson, will remain offline until Thomson's term is nearly over.
When asked about his plan to turn off the machine, Thomson expressed excitement about the upcoming upgrades, citing the prospect of discovering new physics and unraveling some of the universe's greatest mysteries. The high-luminosity LHC project aims to squeeze protons through the collider at unprecedented energies, resulting in tenfold increases in collisions.
However, beneath the surface, a much larger challenge awaits Thomson - deciding what comes next for the LHC after it reaches the end of its lifespan around 2041. A colossal machine called the Future Circular Collider (FCC) is being considered as its successor, boasting a massive size and estimated construction cost of $15 billion.
The debate surrounding the FCC's viability has sparked controversy among Cern member states, who must vote on the project in 2028. Critics argue that it may not be the most effective machine for making new discoveries, potentially falling short in answering fundamental questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the universe's underlying forces.
Despite these concerns, Thomson remains committed to advancing human understanding of the universe. "We've not got to the point where we have stopped making discoveries," he emphasizes. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level."
Ultimately, whether Cern will retain its position as a global leader in particle physics depends on the success of its next-generation collider. As Thomson assumes his new role, it remains to be seen how he will navigate these complex challenges and chart a course for future scientific breakthroughs.
this is gonna be interesting - so they're just gonna shut down the LHC after all that hype about discovery and now they're planning to build some huge expensive thing called FCC 
think Thomson's got his work cut out for him, gotta make sure we don't end up with a giant money pit on our hands 
. They just announce Mark Thomson as the director general without giving us any info on how his leadership style is gonna affect our favorite particle physics experiments! And now he's shutting down the LHC for a 5-year overhaul? What even is the point of that?! We know he wants to upgrade to the high-luminosity project, but isn't that just a fancy way of saying we're gonna have less data with more money spent 
. $15 billion and it's still up for debate whether it'll be effective? How can they justify such an enormous investment without a clear plan in place? I swear, Cern needs to do better than this 
. We're the ones who fund these experiments after all! Can't we at least get some clarity on what's gonna happen next?! 
, what if they don't work out tho? we gotta think about what comes next 
, meanwhile Thomson's all about pushing boundaries and understanding the universe at its most fundamental level 
, i guess what he needs to figure out is how to balance progress with caution 
, hard to say if Cern will remain a leader in particle physics or not...
. I mean, we're talking about a machine that's already helped us discover some of the most fundamental things about our universe... what if the new FCC isn't as groundbreaking? 
. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how Thomson handles it, but a part of me wants to keep the LHC running forever 
! The guy's got a deep understanding of experimental particle physics, and I think his leadership style is gonna shake things up 
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. If we can get our hands on some answers about dark matter and dark energy, that'd be a major win 
! Fingers crossed Thomson'll bring us closer to those answers 
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. i'm not convinced about this "new" collider being any better than what we've got so far 
. I mean, what if they don't discover anything new during that time? It's like taking a year off from research and expecting to come back with the same level of expertise 
. And now this huge uncertainty about the FCC... $15 billion is a small price for potentially changing humanity's understanding of the universe 
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I just hope Thomson has some solid plans in place for how they're gonna keep making progress without that massive machine offline... 
. Shutting down the LHC for 5 years? That's a big deal 
. It's like saying we're gonna put our prized sports car in the shop for maintenance... it just doesn't sit right with me 
. One thing's for sure, though: if he can make Cern cool again, I'll be here for it 
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. It's gonna give them time to upgrade and make some real progress. But what comes after that? That's where the tough questions come in 
. The FCC is a big risk, but it could be worth it if it leads to some major breakthroughs 
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. Mark Thomson's got a tough job ahead of him, but I'm not holding out much hope for this whole LHC thing...