The Future Circular Collider (FCC) is an ambitious project proposed by CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) to build the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It is envisioned as the successor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located at the Franco-Swiss border. The FCC aims to push the boundaries of particle physics, exploring deeper into the fundamental structure of matter and probing the mysteries of the universe.
Key Aspects of the Future Circular Collider (FCC):
1. Design and Scale:
- The FCC is planned to be a circular collider with a 100-kilometre circumference, much larger than the 27-kilometre tunnel of the LHC. It will extend beyond CERN’s current infrastructure.
- Its construction aims to provide proton-proton collisions at energies up to 100 TeV (teraelectronvolts), compared to the LHC’s current maximum energy of 13.6 TeV.
2. Goals and Scientific Ambitions:
The FCC will continue probing the Higgs boson discovered in 2012, exploring its properties more deeply to understand how it interacts with other particles and whether it could explain dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up much of the universe.
- Study of Higgs Boson: The Higgs boson is key to the Standard Model of particle physics, providing mass to other fundamental particles. The FCC will allow researchers to produce and analyse this particle at unprecedented rates, allowing a deeper understanding of its interactions and implications.
- Beyond the Standard Model: The FCC will investigate areas beyond the Standard Model, aiming to resolve unresolved questions like the nature of dark matter, the origins of the matter-antimatter asymmetry, and the possibility of discovering new particles or forces.
3. Collider Types:
The FCC project is divided into two phases:
- FCC-hh: A hadron-hadron collider, designed to collide protons at 100 TeV energy, making it the most powerful in the world. This would allow the exploration of new physics phenomena at high energy scales.
- FCC-ee: A lepton-lepton collider (electron-positron), operating as a Higgs factory to study precision interactions at lower energy. This machine will complement the proton collider by allowing cleaner, more precise measurements of particle interactions.
4. Technological Advances:
- Superconducting magnets: Powerful magnets (even more advanced than the ones used in the LHC) are required to bend protons’ trajectories in such a large circular tunnel. CERN is working on next-generation superconducting magnets capable of producing stronger magnetic fields.
- Energy efficiency: Despite its massive scale, the FCC project aims to be energy-efficient. It will use advanced techniques to optimise energy consumption, making the project more sustainable.
5. Global Collaboration:
- Like the LHC, the FCC will be a collaborative international project involving the participation of scientists, engineers, and institutions from around the world. The scientific community recognises that such a large-scale undertaking requires global cooperation and expertise.
6. Timeline and Challenges:
- The project is still in its planning and design phase, with the goal of starting operations in the 2040s. Before its construction begins, there are still significant hurdles, including funding, environmental concerns, and technological advancements.
- The FCC will need significant investment from CERN’s member states and other partners. Estimates suggest it could cost several tens of billions of euros, making it one of the most expensive scientific endeavours.
7. Scientific Impact:
- New discoveries: By studying collisions at extremely high energies, the FCC could unlock new particles or new forces of nature that extend beyond the Standard Model. This could revolutionise our understanding of particle physics, just as the discovery of the Higgs boson did.
- Cosmic mysteries: The collider may also help resolve cosmic mysteries like dark matter, dark energy, and extra dimensions, which are currently theoretical but have no concrete observational evidence.
- Advancements in technology: The construction and operation of the FCC will undoubtedly spur innovations in superconducting technology, cryogenics, and data processing, with potential spin-offs for industries outside of physics.