Cern's New Director General Takes a Risky Leap: Will the Large Hadron Collider's Successor Be Worth the Price?
When Mark Thomson takes over as director general of Cern in January, he'll be at the helm of one of the world's most influential scientific institutions. As the new leader, he'll oversee the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a machine that has revolutionized our understanding of the universe by recreating conditions from just microseconds after the Big Bang.
However, one of Thomson's first acts as director general will be to switch off the LHC for a much-needed five-year period. The machine, which accelerates protons to nearly light speed and creates showers of new particles that are recorded by detectors, has been running at full capacity since 2008. The prolonged shutdown is necessary for the installation of powerful new superconducting magnets and strengthened detectors.
Thomson is relishing the opportunity, saying that there's "plenty to analyse" over the next five years. He's confident that the upgrades will make the LHC even more precise in its measurements of particles and their interactions, which could potentially crack open long-standing theories and reveal new secrets about the universe.
But Thomson's tenure is also expected to be marked by a much larger, and more contentious, project: the Future Circular Collider (FCC). This colossal machine, if approved, would be three times the size of the LHC and require an estimated 15 billion Swiss francs (or £14 billion) in construction costs.
While the engineering challenges are ambitious, the FCC also raises questions about its purpose and potential impact on the scientific landscape. Critics argue that there's no clear prize to aim for, as the machine may not be able to answer some of the universe's biggest mysteries, such as dark matter and dark energy.
As Thomson takes the reins, he'll face a critical vote by Cern's member states in 2028, which will determine whether the FCC moves forward. With other countries like the US and China also planning advanced colliders, the stakes are high for Europe's particle physics leadership.
"We're not stopping discoveries," Thomson insists. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level." But will the LHC's successor be worth the price? Only time will tell if Thomson's gamble pays off, or if Cern's legacy is left in the dust of history.
When Mark Thomson takes over as director general of Cern in January, he'll be at the helm of one of the world's most influential scientific institutions. As the new leader, he'll oversee the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a machine that has revolutionized our understanding of the universe by recreating conditions from just microseconds after the Big Bang.
However, one of Thomson's first acts as director general will be to switch off the LHC for a much-needed five-year period. The machine, which accelerates protons to nearly light speed and creates showers of new particles that are recorded by detectors, has been running at full capacity since 2008. The prolonged shutdown is necessary for the installation of powerful new superconducting magnets and strengthened detectors.
Thomson is relishing the opportunity, saying that there's "plenty to analyse" over the next five years. He's confident that the upgrades will make the LHC even more precise in its measurements of particles and their interactions, which could potentially crack open long-standing theories and reveal new secrets about the universe.
But Thomson's tenure is also expected to be marked by a much larger, and more contentious, project: the Future Circular Collider (FCC). This colossal machine, if approved, would be three times the size of the LHC and require an estimated 15 billion Swiss francs (or £14 billion) in construction costs.
While the engineering challenges are ambitious, the FCC also raises questions about its purpose and potential impact on the scientific landscape. Critics argue that there's no clear prize to aim for, as the machine may not be able to answer some of the universe's biggest mysteries, such as dark matter and dark energy.
As Thomson takes the reins, he'll face a critical vote by Cern's member states in 2028, which will determine whether the FCC moves forward. With other countries like the US and China also planning advanced colliders, the stakes are high for Europe's particle physics leadership.
"We're not stopping discoveries," Thomson insists. "Our goal is to understand the universe at its most fundamental level." But will the LHC's successor be worth the price? Only time will tell if Thomson's gamble pays off, or if Cern's legacy is left in the dust of history.
... I mean, switching off the LHC for 5 years sounds like a huge risk to me. We're basically taking a massive leap into the unknown without knowing what we'll find on the other side 
. I get that upgrades are needed and all, but can't they just do it while the machine is still running? It seems like we're just going through this whole process again 
. And what's with the FCC? 15 billion Swiss francs? Are you kidding me?! 
That's a small country right there. Is it really worth it to see if we can answer some of the universe's biggest mysteries? I'm not sure...
. On the other hand, if it pays off, that'd be straight fire 
. Fingers crossed, right?
, but I gotta ask, what's up with the LHC getting shut down for five whole years? Like, isn't it cool that we get to learn more about the universe during that time? 
I mean, sure, it's a big deal and all, but 5 years feels like a looong time... still can't wait to see what new discoveries come outta this thing 
Cerns new director general is like taking a HUGE risk by shutting down the LHC for 5 yrs but im all for it tbh 
and yeah the FCC project is HUGE and i get why ppl are skeptical but mark thomson seems pretty confident in his plan 
he's all about getting closer to understanding the universe at a fundamental level which is like literally the coolest thing ever 
so fingers crossed it pays off and we get even more answers about dark matter and dark energy 
, and now all we can do is watch and see if Mark Thomson's bold move to upgrade the LHC pays off 
. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" 
, so let's hope he won't be held back by critics who question the FCC's purpose 
. It'll be fascinating to see how Thomson navigates this treacherous landscape and brings Europe's particle physics leadership into the spotlight