What's happened
CERN has unveiled plans for the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a proposed 91-kilometer particle accelerator beneath the French-Swiss border. Estimated to cost around 14 billion Swiss francs, the FCC aims to enhance scientific understanding of fundamental particles, including the Higgs boson. Approval from CERN's member countries is expected in 2028.
What's behind the headline?
Scientific Ambitions
- The FCC aims to explore fundamental questions about the universe, including the nature of dark matter and antimatter.
- It is designed to produce Higgs bosons in large quantities, enhancing our understanding of their role in the universe.
Economic Considerations
- The estimated cost of around 14 billion Swiss francs raises concerns about funding, especially from member states like Germany, which has expressed reservations.
- Critics argue that such a large investment could divert resources from smaller, potentially groundbreaking scientific projects.
Political Landscape
- Approval from CERN's 24 member countries is crucial, with a decision expected in 2028. The project faces scrutiny amid competing global scientific initiatives, particularly from China.
- The feasibility study has shown no technical obstacles, but political will is essential for moving forward.
What the papers say
According to Gulf News, CERN's FCC is projected to be more than three times the size of the LHC, allowing for collisions at eight times the energy. The Independent highlights the potential for groundbreaking discoveries, emphasizing the need for careful studies before approval. AP News notes that independent experts will review the proposal, while South China Morning Post raises concerns about funding and local opposition. The Guardian discusses the broader implications for the future of particle physics, noting divisions within the scientific community regarding the project's necessity.
How we got here
The FCC project has been in development for nearly a decade, following the success of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson in 2012. As the LHC approaches its operational end by the 2040s, CERN seeks to maintain its leadership in particle physics with this ambitious new collider.
Go deeper
- What are the potential benefits of the FCC?
- How does the FCC compare to the Large Hadron Collider?
- What challenges does CERN face in funding the FCC?
Common question
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What are the main challenges facing CERN's Future Circular Collider?
CERN's Future Circular Collider (FCC) project aims to push the boundaries of particle physics, but it faces significant hurdles. From funding issues to local opposition, the future of this ambitious project is uncertain. Here are some common questions about the challenges and implications of the FCC.
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What Are the Impacts of Recent Cuts to Scientific Funding in the US?
Recent cuts to scientific funding in the United States have raised significant concerns among researchers and experts. With over 1,900 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine expressing alarm, the implications of these cuts extend beyond just financial constraints. This page explores the various dimensions of this issue, including responses from the scientific community, potential impacts on public health, and alternative funding proposals.
More on these topics
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated in the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern.
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The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, is a European research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world.
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
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The Future Circular Collider is a proposed particle accelerator with an energy significantly above that of previous circular colliders, such as the Super Proton Synchrotron, the Tevatron, and the Large Hadron Collider.
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The Higgs boson is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field, one of the fields in particle physics theory.
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The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider and the largest machine in the world. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists a