CERN Announces Next-Generation Particle Collider Project to Push Physics Frontiers

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has unveiled detailed plans for its Future Circular Collider (FCC), a groundbreaking 91-kilometer superconducting particle accelerator with an estimated cost of €21 billion. Designed to probe the fundamental nature of the Higgs boson and search for unknown particles like dark matter, the FCC will be constructed in two phases: an electron-positron collider operational in the 2040s, followed by a proton-proton collider upgrade in the 2060s capable of reaching 100 teraelectronvolts (TeV)—far surpassing the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) current 14 TeV capacity.

CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti emphasized that the FCC will solidify Europe's leadership in particle physics and potentially yield "revolutionary discoveries." However, critics question the project's cost-effectiveness, advocating instead for prioritized funding in climate or medical research. The announcement intensifies competition in high-energy physics, as Japan's proposed International Linear Collider (ILC) remains a contender for global dominance in next-generation collider technology.