from the where'd-they-get-the-super-particles? dept.
Nature reports that:
For decades, Europe and the United States have led the way when it comes to high-energy particle colliders. But a proposal by China that is quietly gathering momentum has raised the possibility that the country could soon position itself at the forefront of particle physics.
Scientists at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in Beijing, working with international collaborators, are planning to build a 'Higgs factory' by 2028 a 52-kilometre underground ring that would smash together electrons and positrons. Collisions of these fundamental particles would allow the Higgs boson to be studied with greater precision than at the much smaller Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Europe's particle-physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland.
Physicists say that the proposed US$3-billion machine is within technological grasp and is considered conservative in scope and cost. But China hopes that it would also be a stepping stone to a next-generation collider a super proton-proton collider in the same tunnel.
European and US teams have both shown interest in building their own super collider (see Nature 503, 177; 2013), but the huge amount of research needed before such a machine could be built means that the earliest date either can aim for is 2035. China would like to build its electron-positron collider in the meantime, unaided by international funding if needs be, and follow it up as fast as technologically possible with the super proton collider. Because only one super collider is likely to be built, China's momentum puts it firmly in the driving seat.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Thursday July 24 2014, @05:12AM
Note that Europe did shut down LEP in the 90s to build the LHC at CERN. This was an electron positron collider that was engaged in a Higgs search when it shut down. The energy at which the particles collided was not quite enough to get to Higgs. If they had known the Higgs mass then a modest upgrade would have got them there, and particle physics would be 7+ Billion euros in the black (no LHC)... aint life a bitch.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 24 2014, @07:44AM
but now they will at least have the large hadron collider (but not as large as the chinese one) or LHC(BNALATCO)
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday July 24 2014, @05:13AM
I know they're also more efficient than us with the death penalty, but all these achievements are only to hide how badly we beat them at putting everyone in jail!
(Score: 2, Informative) by pkrasimirov on Thursday July 24 2014, @07:11AM
Civilization V comes to mind with it's first-build-wins wonders.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 24 2014, @07:47AM
the only ones worth getting in civ 2 were adam smith, leo's workshop and michaelangelo's chapel... and maybe the space one but that was just for cool factor :-p
(Score: 2) by clone141166 on Thursday July 24 2014, @04:41PM
As long as Gandhi doesn't start launching nukes at everyone.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/11/16/matt-gurney-if-video-games-must-be-accurate-tell-gandhi-to-stop-nuking-me/ [nationalpost.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Thursday July 24 2014, @02:09PM
Oh, and also... great that the Chinese are contributing to particle physics! And best of luck to them. (Although they have already made a major contribution with e.g. Daya Bay). Now let's hope they can deliver, and help where we can.