Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider argue for it construction of a new onean even bigger and more powerful super accelerator to aid in the quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
The proposed monster, called the Future Circular Collider (FCC), features a ring three times larger than its predecessor, spanning 91 km and located deeper underground to prevent the escape of powerful radiation.
The estimated initial cost of the FCC project is £12 billion, with funding expected to come from member states of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Opponents criticize the astronomical spending as “reckless.”
If the physicists’ ambitions come to fruition, the megacollider is expected to be operational by the mid-2040s, with super-powerful magnets installed in the 2070s to accelerate particles to unprecedented energies.
The ultimate goal is to provide evidence for the existence of dark matter, which, according to prevailing theoretical concepts, makes up 95% of the universe.
CERN Director General Professor Fabiola Gianotti has praised the future super collider as a “magnificent machine” that could propel physicists to a breakthrough in understanding the fundamental structure of our world. She emphasizes its potential to make significant progress in humanity’s understanding of the universe.
However, concerns remain about the potential risks associated with experiments, including the formation of a mini-black hole. Although the possibility is considered very microscopic, it is not entirely dismissed.
There remains a cautious recognition that in the pursuit of knowledge there is a small but not zero risk of destructive consequences.
The LHC 2.0, or Future Circular Collider (FCC), will revolutionize the world of physics when it is operational, building on the work of its predecessor.
It will produce the power of 10 MILLION lightning strikes – enough energy to create a devastating black hole, reports express.co.uk.
Researchers have found that it actually takes 2.4 times less energy to create a black hole, and with a more powerful particle collider, some fear this could happen accidentally in the laboratory.
The study, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, states: “We find that the threshold for black hole formation is lower (by a factor of a few) than simple hoop estimates, and furthermore, near this threshold, two different apparent horizons. post collision and then merge.”
However, thanks to a process known as Hawking Radiation, experts say Earth is in no danger of being swallowed by a man-made black hole.
Frans Pretorius, a theoretical physicist at Princeton University, told LiveScience: “The one common misconception about the small black holes that could form at the Large Hadron Collider is that they would swallow up the Earth.
“With about as much confidence as we can say in science, this is completely impossible.”
We hope that this will be the case, and that scientists are right in their theories.
