Mark Thomson, a Cambridge professor of experimental particle physics, has snagged one of the most coveted positions in global science: director general of Cern, the multi-Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physics laboratory on the outskirts of Geneva.
When Thomson takes over as Cern's top boss on January 1st, he'll have his work cut out. One of the first things he'll do is shut down the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest scientific instrument, which recreates conditions that existed microseconds after the Big Bang. The machine won its place in history for discovering the mysterious Higgs boson, but Thomson will keep it offline for engineering work until his five-year term is almost over.
Thomson isn't fazed about the shutdown, though. He's actually relishing the fact that he'll have a treasure trove of data to analyze during his tenure. The physics results will continue to roll in, and researchers will be able to study them for years to come.
The LHC accelerates protons to nearly light speed inside a 27km-long ring under the French-Swiss countryside. When protons collide, they create showers of new particles that are recorded by the LHC's detectors. The machine is a marvel of engineering, but it has its limitations – and Thomson knows what those are.
The biggest challenge facing Cern in the coming years will be building a successor to the LHC: the Future Circular Collider (FCC). This massive machine would be more than three times the size of the LHC, requiring a new 91km circular tunnel to be dug up to 400 metres underground. The project is estimated to cost £14 billion.
However, there are questions about whether this machine will truly make groundbreaking discoveries. Will it shed light on some of physics' biggest mysteries – like dark matter and dark energy? Or will it just give us more data to pour over? Thomson acknowledges that the answer isn't clear yet.
Despite these doubts, Cern is confident that the LHC's successor will be worth it. The lab has been instrumental in shaping Europe's reputation as a leader in particle physics, attracting tens of thousands of researchers and driving innovation. But with other countries – like the US and China – also pushing for advanced colliders, Cern must prove that its vision is still the right one.
Thomson knows his job will be tough. "We haven't reached the point where we've stopped making discoveries," he says. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level."
When Thomson takes over as Cern's top boss on January 1st, he'll have his work cut out. One of the first things he'll do is shut down the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest scientific instrument, which recreates conditions that existed microseconds after the Big Bang. The machine won its place in history for discovering the mysterious Higgs boson, but Thomson will keep it offline for engineering work until his five-year term is almost over.
Thomson isn't fazed about the shutdown, though. He's actually relishing the fact that he'll have a treasure trove of data to analyze during his tenure. The physics results will continue to roll in, and researchers will be able to study them for years to come.
The LHC accelerates protons to nearly light speed inside a 27km-long ring under the French-Swiss countryside. When protons collide, they create showers of new particles that are recorded by the LHC's detectors. The machine is a marvel of engineering, but it has its limitations – and Thomson knows what those are.
The biggest challenge facing Cern in the coming years will be building a successor to the LHC: the Future Circular Collider (FCC). This massive machine would be more than three times the size of the LHC, requiring a new 91km circular tunnel to be dug up to 400 metres underground. The project is estimated to cost £14 billion.
However, there are questions about whether this machine will truly make groundbreaking discoveries. Will it shed light on some of physics' biggest mysteries – like dark matter and dark energy? Or will it just give us more data to pour over? Thomson acknowledges that the answer isn't clear yet.
Despite these doubts, Cern is confident that the LHC's successor will be worth it. The lab has been instrumental in shaping Europe's reputation as a leader in particle physics, attracting tens of thousands of researchers and driving innovation. But with other countries – like the US and China – also pushing for advanced colliders, Cern must prove that its vision is still the right one.
Thomson knows his job will be tough. "We haven't reached the point where we've stopped making discoveries," he says. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level."
I think it's cool that Mark Thomson is taking over as the director general of Cern 
He's got a big job ahead of him, but I'm sure he'll be up for the challenge 
The fact that he's looking forward to analyzing all that data from the LHC is pretty awesome 
And yeah, building a successor to the LHC might seem daunting, but think about all the progress they could make in understanding dark matter and dark energy 
Still, it'll be interesting to see how Cern measures up against other countries in terms of innovation 
Mark Thomson seems like a great choice for the job, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he achieves 
. Shutting down the LHC might seem like a big deal, but on a deeper level, it's actually a blessing in disguise - all that data will give us years to analyze and understand the results 
The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is less about the technology itself and more about how we choose to use it 
.
The LHC is a game-changer and shutting it down for engineering work doesn't make sense. We need more of that kind of innovation, not less! 
is it worth keeping it offline just for upgrades? 
why do they have to shut down the LHC right away? Can't they just leave it on forever or something? 
And what's with the £14 billion price tag for this new FCC thingy? That's like, a crazy amount of cash! 
... do they even know if its worth it yet? and what about dark matter and energy tho? wont lhc2 just make more questions 
and maybe even makes some new discoveries tho. anyway i hope cern does ok with this new project, fcc sounds crazy expensive 
. But seriously, shutting down such an iconic machine just to do some engineering work seems... excessive? Maybe Thomson is right though, and he'll get to analyze all that data for five years straight 
... Sometimes, you gotta take a step back (or in this case, shut down) to move forward 
. Think of it like troubleshooting an old computer – you gotta reboot sometimes before you can really fix what's broken 
. As he navigates Cern's future, let this be a lesson to us all: sometimes taking a break means making room for growth 
...
. The fact that he'll have a treasure trove of data to analyze during his term is actually a big plus 
. This raises questions about who's leading in particle physics and whether Cern's vision is still the right one 
!
! I know some ppl are skeptical about whether it's worth the £14 billion price tag, but I think it's a no-brainer. We're talkin' about unlockin' the secrets of dark matter and dark energy here – that's what's gonna get us to the next big breakthroughs in physics. And let's be real, Mark Thomson is the right guy for the job 
. He knows his stuff and he's all about pushin' the boundaries of human knowledge. The fact that he's gonna have a treasure trove of data to analyze during his term is pure genius 
. Bring it on! 
. still, i get why he wants all that data to play with – physics results are like puzzles, and every new piece can help crack them open 
. still, mark thomson seems like someone who knows what he's getting into – he's already saying that understanding the universe at its most fundamental level is the goal 
. let's see how it all plays out! 
... wonder if he'll be able to crack some of those hard-to-solve puzzles 
LHC shutdown = more data for researchers to sift through 
. Dark matter and dark energy still eluding us... hope Thomson's team can shine a light on those mysteries soon 
. Not exactly the most promising start for the new director general, but at least he's aware of the challenges ahead