Mark Thomson, a Cambridge professor of experimental particle physics, has landed a coveted job as the director general of Cern, the multi-Nobel laureate nuclear physics lab. However, his tenure may have come at the cost of progress.
Thomson's first act as head will be to switch off the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest scientific instrument, for much-needed engineering work. The machine, which recreated conditions just after the Big Bang, is still producing valuable data and Thomson relishes the next five years ahead, but the shutdown has sparked concerns about his leadership.
When asked if he's disheartened by the temporary halt to LHC operations, Thomson seems anything but apologetic. Instead, he's excited about the prospects for new discoveries that will keep coming throughout his term. This optimism is tempered by the daunting task of upgrading the LHC in six months' time – a high-luminosity LHC upgrade that will dramatically increase collisions and improve detection capabilities.
Thomson's enthusiasm for this ambitious project is palpable, as he describes it as "incredibly exciting." However, with the LHC's successor still shrouded in mystery, Thomson faces an even more daunting challenge: convincing Cern's member states to invest in the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a behemoth machine that could rival the LHC in size and complexity.
The FCC project has raised concerns among scientists, who question its necessity and the costs involved. The estimated 15 billion Swiss francs or £14 billion price tag for just the first phase of construction is staggering. Moreover, the project's very purpose remains unclear: will it shed light on dark matter, dark energy, or gravity?
Thomson acknowledges these doubts but emphasizes that Cern's mission remains unchanged – to unravel the universe at its most fundamental level. The question, however, is whether this vision can remain intact as Europe's dominance in particle physics is challenged by other nations.
As Thomson prepares to navigate this complex landscape, one thing is certain: his leadership will be crucial to securing the future of Cern and the LHC. Will he emerge with a groundbreaking discovery, or will the pressure mount against him? Only time will tell if Mark Thomson's tenure will mark a new era in particle physics or falter under the weight of uncertainty.
Thomson's first act as head will be to switch off the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest scientific instrument, for much-needed engineering work. The machine, which recreated conditions just after the Big Bang, is still producing valuable data and Thomson relishes the next five years ahead, but the shutdown has sparked concerns about his leadership.
When asked if he's disheartened by the temporary halt to LHC operations, Thomson seems anything but apologetic. Instead, he's excited about the prospects for new discoveries that will keep coming throughout his term. This optimism is tempered by the daunting task of upgrading the LHC in six months' time – a high-luminosity LHC upgrade that will dramatically increase collisions and improve detection capabilities.
Thomson's enthusiasm for this ambitious project is palpable, as he describes it as "incredibly exciting." However, with the LHC's successor still shrouded in mystery, Thomson faces an even more daunting challenge: convincing Cern's member states to invest in the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a behemoth machine that could rival the LHC in size and complexity.
The FCC project has raised concerns among scientists, who question its necessity and the costs involved. The estimated 15 billion Swiss francs or £14 billion price tag for just the first phase of construction is staggering. Moreover, the project's very purpose remains unclear: will it shed light on dark matter, dark energy, or gravity?
Thomson acknowledges these doubts but emphasizes that Cern's mission remains unchanged – to unravel the universe at its most fundamental level. The question, however, is whether this vision can remain intact as Europe's dominance in particle physics is challenged by other nations.
As Thomson prepares to navigate this complex landscape, one thing is certain: his leadership will be crucial to securing the future of Cern and the LHC. Will he emerge with a groundbreaking discovery, or will the pressure mount against him? Only time will tell if Mark Thomson's tenure will mark a new era in particle physics or falter under the weight of uncertainty.
I'm thinking that this is gonna be an interesting ride for Mark Thomson. He seems super enthusiastic about the LHC upgrade, but let's be real, 15 billion Swiss francs is a LOT of money 
. It's understandable that scientists are skeptical about the FCC project - what exactly do they hope to achieve with it? More data on dark matter and dark energy? We already have some clues from the LHC, so I'm not sure why we need another behemoth machine 
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. But if it all falls apart... well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next 
and yeah, I'm not buying the whole "unraveling the universe at its most fundamental level" vibe - sounds like a bunch of fancy-schmancy PR to me 
can't we just focus on getting the job done instead of worrying about whether it'll be "groundbreaking"? 
and what's with this idea that europe's dominance in particle physics is being challenged by other nations? is that even a thing right now? I need some sources on this one before I start jumping to conclusions 
. I mean, they're gonna shut down the LHC and all that juicy data is just gonna get turned off 
. And then there's this new project called FCC... 15 billion Swiss francs? That's like, crazy money 
. Like, will it really make a difference or is it just some fancy machine that nobody needs? 
. Can he pull off this massive project and save Cern's bacon? Only time will tell... and probably not in a good way 
.
Can't say I'm sold on this guy being the right fit for Cern just yet...
. I mean, yeah, we need to upgrade the LHC and all that jazz... but can't it wait just for like 6 months? 
Thomson's being too optimistic about the whole new discovery thing. Have you seen the stats on those dark matter theories? We've been trying to crack them for decades and still nothing concrete 
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. I mean, it's not like they're gonna miss out on any groundbreaking discoveries or anything 
. But seriously, a 15 billion Swiss francs price tag for just the first phase of the FCC project is wild 
, but at the same time, I'm like, really concerned about shutting down the LHC for so long 
. I get that it needs some work, but five years feels like a looong time to be out of commission. And what's with all this hype around the FCC? 15 billion Swiss francs is wild 
. And that takes courage, patience, and a willingness to take calculated risks 
The fact that Thomson is super excited about new discoveries coming out of this shutdown just seems like PR spin to me. And don't even get me started on the Future Circular Collider (FCC) project - 15 billion Swiss francs is a crazy amount of money for something we still don't fully understand 
... but you know what's even crazier? the estimated price tag for building the FCC project is 15 billion swiss francs or £14 billion 
. The LHC shutdown is gonna cost us some serious time 
and I'm not sure if Mark Thomson's enthusiasm will be enough to cover up the incompetence 
with no clear outcome 
. Who do we trust now? 
. They've got this! And I love that he's so excited about the future of particle physics 
. It's infectious! So, fingers crossed that they can make it work and bring us some amazing discoveries 
meanwhile thomson is all like "oh its fine we got this" but im sure he's just trying to cover his own tracks... 15 billion francs for a new collider? thats just plain crazy 
how can one machine possibly cost that much? and whats the point of it all anyway? just more money down the drain in my opinion 
. And then there's the Future Circular Collider (FCC) project... I get why some scientists are skeptical about its necessity, but trust me, this is where we're gonna find the answers to our universe's greatest mysteries 
! As long as Mark Thomson has his vision and a solid plan in place, I'm 100% confident that Cern will stay at the forefront of particle physics 
. Bring on the next five years of discovery and innovation!