2024-02-14 13:16:40
In operation since 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a colossal ring 27 kilometers in circumference equipped with thousands of superconducting magnets that accelerate beams of particles to speeds close to light. In particular, it made it possible to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson, a crucial elementary particle in the standard model of particle physics.
Scientists now have the ambition to go further, and to achieve this, it seems necessary to build “a Higgs boson factory», that is to say an instrument which will make it possible to produce these particles in large quantities. The objective is to provide a more precise vision of the universe: “what is dark matter made of, or why is there more matter than antimatter in the Universe, even though they were probably equal parts during the big bang?», specifies Ursula Bassler, president of the CERN council.
A new collider
Built on the border between France and Switzerland, the LHC is by far the world’s largest particle accelerator, but that could change as researchers at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, exploit its capabilities. , hope to raise funds to build a much larger and more efficient system.
The Future Circular Collider (FCC) would be buried at a depth of 200 meters, compared to 80 meters for the LHC. Above all, the main ring would have a circumference of 91 kilometers, extending between France and Switzerland. It would thus become “the most powerful instrument ever built by Humanity to study the laws of Nature at the most fundamental level“, explained Fabiola Gianotti, Director General of CERN.
Two major challenges still remain to be resolved: on the one hand, finding the necessary funds, estimated at 20 billion euros by researchers, and on the other hand, overcoming the environmental and ecological obstacles associated with any large-scale work. European creation requires, the budget will also have to be approved by the 23 members of CERN, which will not be an easy task.
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