9 December 2022
The particle accelerator at CERN shut down weeks earlier than normal in winter to save energy – and costs. NRC asked physicists from Nikhef and others for ideas for more economical particle research.
The newspaper story (in Dutch) is online here. The proposed FCC accelerator of 100 kilometers circumference near CERN is relatively economical, calculations show.
“I don’t think the Higgs factory design with the smallest carbon footprint will necessarily be built,” said particle physicist Tristan du Pree, of Nikhef and the University of Twente, who is involved in the FCC design. “But those with exorbitant CO2 emissions are excluded. CLIC, for example, in my opinion, is a no-go because of its energy consumption.”