What is this 20 billion scientific project being prepared in France?

Operating since 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a giant ring 27 kilometers in circumference equipped with thousands of superconducting magnets that accelerate beams of particles to near-light speeds. In particular, it made it possible to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson, a crucial elementary particle in the standard model of particle physics.

Scientists now have the ambition to go further and to achieve that, “The Higgs Boson Factory

», i.e. a tool that would make it possible to produce these particles in large quantities. The aim is to provide a more precise vision of the universe: “What is dark matter made of, or why is there more matter than antimatter in the universe, even though it was probably equal parts during the big bang?», referring to CERN Council President Ursula Basler.

A new collider

Built on the border between France and Switzerland, the LHC is by far the world’s largest particle accelerator, but that could change as CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, uses its capabilities. , hoping to raise funds to build a larger and more efficient system.

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) will be buried 200 meters deep, compared to 80 meters for the LHC. Above all, the main ring will have a circumference of 91 kilometers, stretching between France and Switzerland. It will be like this”The most powerful tool ever created by humanity to study the laws of nature at the most fundamental level“, explained Fabiola Gianotti, Director General of CERN.

Two main challenges have yet to be resolved: on the one hand, finding the necessary funding, estimated by the researchers at 20 billion euros, and on the other hand, overcoming the ecological and environmental obstacles associated with any large-scale work. A European creation is required, the budget will also have to be approved by CERN’s 23 members, which will not be an easy task.