No Good Reason for a Larger Particle Collider

Future Circular Collider - Image selection

The Higgs boson was the end of the line. Or, at least, the end of one important line. Here's an argument from somebody who knows particle physics a heck of a lot better than I do.

https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2019/01/particle-physics-may-have-reached-end.html

And although I do love science for its own sake, there is a political point here. In a number of countries, including the US, the UK, the Eurozone, and Switzerland, there is a Big Science lobby. Big Science sees the Manhattan Project and the cold war era Space Race as examples to be imitated. After all, if we (nation X) doesn't build the next big doohickey, then they (rival country Y) will build the doohickey with disastrous results.

That is the pitch for public consumption, Within the industries that stand to gain (from academic institutions to the relevant industrial contractors) there is a simpler pitch: this is our gravy train.

So it is worthwhile noting the article that goes with the above URL. No rival is going to steal a march on you if your country doesn't buy a new shiny really big particle accelerator folks. What can really be expected from building such things has been done.

Comments

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