Marc Thomson, a professor of experimental particle physics at the University of Cambridge, is set to become the director of the Institute for Nuclear Physics Cologne starting January 1. This prestigious position comes as the facility prepares for significant upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which has made landmark discoveries, including the Higgs boson. Thomson will initially oversee the LHC’s engineering shutdown for upgrades, focusing on enhancing its capabilities to increase collision rates and improve data collection.
Thomson’s background includes a comprehensive education in physics at Oxford, influenced by early interests in popular science. The LHC, which accelerates protons near light speed, will soon undergo a high-luminosity upgrade. This upgrade aims to allow more precise measurements of particle interactions, potentially revealing fundamental mysteries about the universe’s structure and the Higgs boson’s properties.
Looking ahead, Thomson’s tenure will also involve deliberations on future projects, notably the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a proposed machine that would significantly surpass the LHC’s capabilities. However, funding and the machine’s potential for groundbreaking discoveries pose challenges. As CERN faces competition from global counterparts, Thomson emphasizes the need to continue the quest for understanding the universe at a fundamental level, insisting that “now is definitely not the time to give up.”
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