A new particle accelerator, over 90 kilometers long and costing several billion euros, is being proposed by researchers at the European Center for Particle Research (CERN). This device would be a circular tunnel, with the southernmost point starting at the Helsinki railway station and the northernmost point further north of Järvenpää. The perimeter of this tunnel measures more than 90 kilometers, and it would take about an hour to drive around it at normal speed.
The project’s supporters argue that this new accelerator is necessary for the advancement of particle physics. In addition to CERN’s plans, China is also planning to build a collider that is approximately a hundred kilometers long. While the initial surveys for the Chinese collider have been completed, international cooperation in particle physics with China may present challenges.
The estimated cost for the new collider at CERN is over 15 billion euros, with preparations already costing around one hundred million euros. The decision to proceed with the project will be made in the coming years by CERN’s member states and partner countries.
The new collider would aim to verify the nature of the Higgs particle, which is crucial for understanding the stability of the universe. Additionally, researchers hope to explore dark matter and other mysteries of the universe through this new technology. The project is seen as a way to push the boundaries of physics and potentially uncover new discoveries in the field.
