Mark Thomson, a Cambridge University professor of experimental particle physics, has just been appointed as the director general of Cern, the renowned nuclear physics laboratory in Geneva. On January 1st, he will take the helm of the lab at a pivotal moment: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest scientific instrument ever built, is about to be shut down for an extended period.
Thomson's first task will be to initiate the shutdown, which will last until nearly the end of his five-year term. The LHC is a massive machine that accelerates protons to nearly light speed inside a 27km-long ring beneath the French-Swiss countryside. When protons collide at four points around the ring, they create a shower of new particles recorded by the LHC's detectors. This process recreates conditions that existed microseconds after the Big Bang.
The shutdown is not a cause for concern; on the contrary, Thomson views it as an opportunity to analyze the vast amounts of data being generated by the machine. The physics results will continue to pour in over the next five years, and researchers are eager to uncover new insights into the universe's most fundamental laws.
Thomson has come full circle from his own fascination with science at a young age. Reading about Cern sparked his interest in understanding how the universe works. He became the first scientist in his family to attend university, studying physics at Oxford before moving on to Cambridge.
The high-luminosity LHC, set to begin in June, promises to be an exciting upgrade that will increase the machine's energy output tenfold and make it brighter. This new collider will enable researchers to capture the subtle signs of new physics collisions, which could reveal groundbreaking discoveries.
However, the long-term future of Cern hangs in the balance. The LHC's successor, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), is a massive project that would surpass the LHC in size and complexity. While Thomson views this as an exciting prospect, it also comes with significant challenges, including engineering costs and funding hurdles.
A debate rages over whether the FCC is the right machine for making new discoveries. It's unclear whether it will answer some of the universe's most fundamental questions, such as the nature of dark matter or the mysteries of gravity. The stakes are high, but Thomson remains committed to his goal: to understand the universe at its most fundamental level.
For Cern, the world leader in particle physics, the future is uncertain. Will it maintain its preeminence, or will other nations like the US and China surpass it? Thomson's tenure as director general will be crucial in determining the lab's trajectory.
Thomson's first task will be to initiate the shutdown, which will last until nearly the end of his five-year term. The LHC is a massive machine that accelerates protons to nearly light speed inside a 27km-long ring beneath the French-Swiss countryside. When protons collide at four points around the ring, they create a shower of new particles recorded by the LHC's detectors. This process recreates conditions that existed microseconds after the Big Bang.
The shutdown is not a cause for concern; on the contrary, Thomson views it as an opportunity to analyze the vast amounts of data being generated by the machine. The physics results will continue to pour in over the next five years, and researchers are eager to uncover new insights into the universe's most fundamental laws.
Thomson has come full circle from his own fascination with science at a young age. Reading about Cern sparked his interest in understanding how the universe works. He became the first scientist in his family to attend university, studying physics at Oxford before moving on to Cambridge.
The high-luminosity LHC, set to begin in June, promises to be an exciting upgrade that will increase the machine's energy output tenfold and make it brighter. This new collider will enable researchers to capture the subtle signs of new physics collisions, which could reveal groundbreaking discoveries.
However, the long-term future of Cern hangs in the balance. The LHC's successor, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), is a massive project that would surpass the LHC in size and complexity. While Thomson views this as an exciting prospect, it also comes with significant challenges, including engineering costs and funding hurdles.
A debate rages over whether the FCC is the right machine for making new discoveries. It's unclear whether it will answer some of the universe's most fundamental questions, such as the nature of dark matter or the mysteries of gravity. The stakes are high, but Thomson remains committed to his goal: to understand the universe at its most fundamental level.
For Cern, the world leader in particle physics, the future is uncertain. Will it maintain its preeminence, or will other nations like the US and China surpass it? Thomson's tenure as director general will be crucial in determining the lab's trajectory.
cern is like, the mecca of physics labs lol and mark thomson is a genius 
he comes full circle from being fascinated by science as a kid to now leading the team 
what if they don't get funding for the fcc? 
or what if it's just not worth it? 
it's all so high stakes and i'm low key terrified lol 
which is def something to be stoked about 
. With Mark Thomson at the helm, I'm hoping he can bring some clarity to all the changes happening, especially with the high-luminosity LHC and the Future Circular Collider (FCC) in the works 
. But seriously, I'm curious to see how Thomson's leadership will shape the next chapter in particle physics research 
. Can they keep pushing the boundaries and answering some of humanity's biggest questions?
. But with the FCC looming on the horizon, it's like, will we see a shift in global power dynamics for particle physics or what? 
Cern's been at the top of its game for ages, so I'm curious to see if they can stay ahead of the curve 
but i guess mark thomson is super hyped about analyzing all that data 
he's been into science since he was young and now he's at cern which is like the holy grail of physics labs 
and I gotta say, 5 yrs is a looong time for a shutdown 
but on the bright side, it's the perfect excuse to analyze all that juicy data they've been collecting 
And then there's this whole Future Circular Collider thing... 
Or maybe we should just let someone else try their hand at it... 
.