The Man Taking Over the Large Hadron Collider (theguardian.com)
(Thursday January 01, 2026 @11:01AM (msmash)
from the grander-ambitions dept.)
- Reference: 0180496605
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/01/01/1455227/the-man-taking-over-the-large-hadron-collider
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/31/large-hadron-collider-head-of-cern-mark-thomson
Mark Thomson, a professor of experimental particle physics at the University of Cambridge, [1]takes over as CERN's director general this week , and one of his first major decisions during his five-year tenure will be shutting down the Large Hadron Collider for an extended upgrade. The shutdown starts in June to make way for the high-luminosity LHC -- a major overhaul involving powerful new superconducting magnets that will squeeze the collider's proton beams and increase their brightness. The upgrade will raise collisions tenfold and strengthen the detectors to better capture subtle signs of new physics. The machine won't restart until Thomson's term is nearly over.
Thomson is far from disconsolate about the downtime. "The machine is running brilliantly and we're recording huge amounts of data," he told The Guardian. "There's going to be plenty to analyse over the period." Beyond the upgrade, Thomson must shepherd CERN's plans for the Future Circular Collider, a proposed 91km machine more than three times the size of the current collider. Member states vote on the project in 2028; the first phase carries an estimated price tag of 15 billion Swiss francs (nearly $19 billion).
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/31/large-hadron-collider-head-of-cern-mark-thomson
Thomson is far from disconsolate about the downtime. "The machine is running brilliantly and we're recording huge amounts of data," he told The Guardian. "There's going to be plenty to analyse over the period." Beyond the upgrade, Thomson must shepherd CERN's plans for the Future Circular Collider, a proposed 91km machine more than three times the size of the current collider. Member states vote on the project in 2028; the first phase carries an estimated price tag of 15 billion Swiss francs (nearly $19 billion).
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/31/large-hadron-collider-head-of-cern-mark-thomson
Nitpicky phrasing department: (Score:2)
by ItsJustAPseudonym ( 1259172 )
The summary says "and one of his first major decisions during his five-year tenure will be shutting down the Large Hadron Collider for an extended upgrade."
If they know it's going to happen, then what kind of decision is that? I'm pretty sure it's already decided, and he is the inheritor of the job. The original article says it better:
> But one of the first things Thomson will do is turn the machine off for engineering work. It will not restart until his term is nearly over....Thomson is far from disconso
the man (Score:2)
by groobly ( 6155920 )
OOOh, the man, the man.
Wait... (Score:2)
by jddj ( 1085169 )
It's not Doc Ock?
Re: (Score:2)
> So he's paid to do nothing for 5 years then ?
> That's an even cushier job than Slashdot "editor".
Your premise is offensively stupid. The idea that the director of a 27km particle-accelerator undergoing an upgrade to 10x its efficacy will be idle during that time is absurd. This guy will make more, and more impactful decisions in this period than you will in your entire lifetime. One action, one phone call, one assignment of staff to address something like a cost overrun or delay or equipment shortage or accident will outweigh your impact on humanity. And - to be clear - mine.
By all means, make fu