Future Circular Collider: A Physicist's Dream

A new, even more powerful particle collider than the one that found the famous Higgs boson! That's what Mark Thomson, the next director-general of CERN, has in mind. He believes the Future Circular Collider (FCC) is the way to go for science. This isn't just any collider; it's a 91-kilometer beast that could cost around $17 billion. But Thomson thinks it's worth it. He wants to build a strong case for it, so everyone agrees it's a good idea. CERN, the lab that spans France and Switzerland, is all about understanding the universe. Its current collider, the Large Hadron Collider, has been a game-changer. It discovered the Higgs boson, which helps us understand how particles gain mass. But it's got a lifespan. By around 2040, it'll be done. That's where the FCC comes in. Thomson is excited about the FCC, but he knows there's work to be done. Understanding the costs is a big part of that. He's got time, though. The final decision is still years away. Meanwhile, there are other mysteries to solve. Like dark matter and dark energy. Scientists think they make up most of the universe, but they haven't seen them yet. Thomson is hopeful that current experiments might find them. Thomson will take over from Fabiola Gianotti, who was the first woman to lead CERN. She's also a fan of the FCC. They both agree that there are big questions in physics that need answers. And they're not waiting for the FCC to find some of them.