New accelerator

There is a proposal out for a very cool new particle accelerator. This one is a linear one (straight line) as opposed to circular (using magnets to cause the particles to bend in a curve). The advantage here is that particles with different masses curve differently in a given magnetic field so the straight--line approach is a lot more versatile. The downside is that this puppy is going to be 40 km long (almost 25 miles) and it has to be in a straight line so the curvature of the earth needs to be taken into account when building it. From the article: bq. Details of a giant machine for discovering the secrets of the universe were revealed yesterday by scientists who believe the massive device could revolutionise how we understand the cosmos. bq. An international panel of particle physicists has decided that the high-energy linear collider - a �3bn machine for smashing matter against antimatter - will use revolutionary superconducting technology to shed light on the origin and nature of the universe. Plans for the International Linear Collider have still to be finalised but scientists hope that construction of the underground machine will begin in six years. And why we need this (Dr. Neil Calder from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre in California is speaking): bq. "In the last 10 years there has been a revolution in our concept of the universe and the realities of our new knowledge are very much stranger than could be have been imagined," he said. bq. Last year, physicists accurately measured for the first time how the universe is composed. They found that only 4 per cent of it was made up of visible atoms, with the rest being mysterious dark matter and dark energy - neither of which entities can be seen. bq. "The implications of this new understanding are enormous. We and everything we can see with our most powerful instruments make up only 4 per cent of the universe," Dr Calder said. "We are a tiny minority. The rest is waiting to be discovered... The linear collider is the key to understanding this weird and wonderful universe that we inhabit," he said. I am very much hoping that this doesn't turn out like the SuperCollider -- a victim of stupid partisan politics... (The Science Community thanks you Mr. Clinton!)