The new head of Cern, Mark Thomson, takes over as director general on January 1st with one thing already on his agenda: shutting down the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This multi-Nobel prizewinning nuclear physics laboratory's massive machine, which recreated conditions just microseconds after the Big Bang, will be turned off for five years. It won't restart until Thomson's term is nearly over.
Thomson can hardly contain his excitement about what lies ahead. The shutdown makes way for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade, a major project that involves installing powerful new magnets to squeeze the proton beams and make them brighter - tenfold more collisions than before. Detectors are being strengthened too, making them better at capturing subtle signs of new physics.
The high-luminosity LHC promises more precise measurements of particles and their interactions, which could uncover cracks in current theories that lay the groundwork for future discoveries. However, one big question remains: what drives the masses of elementary particles to vary so? It's not clear how Higgs bosons interact with each other either.
Beyond his five-year tenure, Thomson faces a much larger project - replacing the LHC when it reaches the end of its life around 2041. The frontrunner is the colossal Future Circular Collider or FCC, which would be three times the size of the LHC and require a new 91km circular tunnel. A massive engineering challenge awaits him.
But Cern's influence extends beyond science, with Europe as the world leader in particle physics. The lab attracts tens of thousands of researchers, driving technological advancements. Other countries, like the US and China, are also working on advanced colliders. Will Cern retain its preeminence? Its future depends on its next big machine.
Thomson believes that understanding the universe at its most fundamental level is essential. "We're not giving up," he says. The quest for new knowledge continues, even as the LHC takes a break to be upgraded and, ultimately, replaced by an even bigger project.
Thomson can hardly contain his excitement about what lies ahead. The shutdown makes way for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade, a major project that involves installing powerful new magnets to squeeze the proton beams and make them brighter - tenfold more collisions than before. Detectors are being strengthened too, making them better at capturing subtle signs of new physics.
The high-luminosity LHC promises more precise measurements of particles and their interactions, which could uncover cracks in current theories that lay the groundwork for future discoveries. However, one big question remains: what drives the masses of elementary particles to vary so? It's not clear how Higgs bosons interact with each other either.
Beyond his five-year tenure, Thomson faces a much larger project - replacing the LHC when it reaches the end of its life around 2041. The frontrunner is the colossal Future Circular Collider or FCC, which would be three times the size of the LHC and require a new 91km circular tunnel. A massive engineering challenge awaits him.
But Cern's influence extends beyond science, with Europe as the world leader in particle physics. The lab attracts tens of thousands of researchers, driving technological advancements. Other countries, like the US and China, are also working on advanced colliders. Will Cern retain its preeminence? Its future depends on its next big machine.
Thomson believes that understanding the universe at its most fundamental level is essential. "We're not giving up," he says. The quest for new knowledge continues, even as the LHC takes a break to be upgraded and, ultimately, replaced by an even bigger project.
! shutting down the LHC already?? five years is, like, forever in science land 
. but the high-luminosity upgrade tho 
... thats gonna change EVERYTHING. tenfold more collisions? its gonna be a game changer 
. and i love how Thomson is all about pushing boundaries and exploring the unknown 
. hes so passionate about it, and I am HERE. FOR. IT 
. but like, what's next for Cern?? is it still gonna be the top dog in particle physics? 
only time will tell, but I'm def keeping an eye on that FCC project 
... bring it on! 
and I'm so down with that vibe! The quest for new knowledge is what drives human innovation and progress, and Cern is at the forefront of it all.
The idea that we could uncover cracks in current theories and make some groundbreaking discoveries is, like, so mind-blowing 
. But at the same time, I'm a bit worried about what happens after the LHC gets replaced by the FCC in 2041 
. Will Cern still be the top dog in particle physics? Only time will tell 
. One thing's for sure though - I'll be keeping an eye on this story and following it with bated breath 
.
can you imagine shutting down one of the biggest science toys EVER just because it needs a face lift? 5 whole years is kinda long, i think. what if they found something groundbreaking in those shutdown yrs tho? 
btw, did u hear about the new colliders China and the US are building? competition is heating up 
. What's the rush? Are they gonna find something groundbreaking or just waiting for tech advancements to catch up? 