Giant 'supercollider' could find missing secrets of universe, say CERN scientists
The current machine has been unable to unlock more information about dark energy in the universe - but it is hoped its giant successor will be given the green light for construction to begin in the 2040s.
Scientists at CERN - home to the world's largest particle accelerator - have put forward proposals for a new "supercollider" which it is hoped will help uncover the secrets of 95% of the universe.
The Future Circular Collider (FCC) is seen as the giant successor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which sits in a 17-mile tunnel beneath the ground near Geneva, Switzerland - but the new machine is also facing criticism for its £17bn price tag.
This kind of development used to be fascinating, especially for those with scientific interests. Not so much now we know more about the pernicious influence of funding and the equally pernicious influence of mediocrities angling for professional status.
It's something we never thought would happen, but the shadow is already there.
8 comments:
This one will be a horse-shoe shape because, like HS2, they won't have the money to finish it, but their credibility depends on something getting built.
I feel a boson or two coming on.
Repeat after me: there are no large hadrons.
Sam - but the horseshoe will run on sustainable energy proving it can be done if only people have faith.
James - it's the mild weather, a heavy frost will knock them back.
dearieme - not even chubby ones?
The missing secrets?
I am reminded of that mocked US Secretary of Defence talking about the "known unknowns" and then the"unknown unknowns".
Then there is the Heisenberg principle, not to mention Schrödinger's cat.
Apart from the sex act, if ever proof was needed that God has a sense of humour, this is it.
But they remind me very much of the Met Office weather forcasters who entreat 'If only we could be provided with a bigger computer' (by the government at tax payers expense), 'we could unlock the secrets of the weather!'
Doonhamer - it's a pity we've lost sight of the "known unknowns" and the "unknown unknowns". Still, we'll know God has a sense of humour when Schrödinger's cat turns out to be a dog.
Tammly - we don't think the Met Office forecasts improved after the last computer upgrade. If anything, our perception is that they are less reliable.
Somewhat similar to nuclear fusion always being 30 years away (as it has been for fifty years to my knowledge), the only result of building a monstrous particle accelerator is that in a few years they’ll discover that they need an even bigger one. There is no known limit to this cycle.
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