China’s Circular Electron Positron Accelerator: A Game-Changer in Scientific Research or a Controversial Investment?
In China, a high-cost electron positron accelerator has the potential to revolutionize scientific research for decades to come. Eliezer Rabinovici, a professor emeritus of physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and president of CERN, believes that Chinese scientists have the capacity to build the largest particle accelerator on Earth. Currently, CERN operates the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), but China’s proposed circular electron positron accelerator (CEPC) would far surpass it with a circumference of 100 km.
Despite its significant construction cost of over 5 billion USD, Wang Yifang, director of IHEP, has emphasized that the long-term benefits of the CEPC could outweigh this cost. The accelerator would enable scientists to make new discoveries beyond the standard model of particle physics by accelerating electrons and positrons to high energies and colliding them. If approved, construction could begin within three years with government licenses and funding in place. However, opposition from physicist Nobel laureate Yang Chen-ning has sparked controversy within China’s scientific community regarding more pressing issues such as economic development and environmental protection. Despite this opposition, Rabinovici has witnessed significant progress in Chinese science during his visit in April.
