Hello Kitty to support International Linear Collider · 10:23pm Sep 29th, 2016
Celebrity endorsements by cute cartoon cats are good for any project. This week Symmetry Magazine reports that Hello Kitty is helping to promote the International Linear Collider.
The ILC is a proposed next generation high energy particle physics experiment, to accelerate electrons and positrons in a straight track over 30km long, before smashing them together to probe the fundamental constituents of matter in unprecedented detail. Further pushing the frontiers of science far beyond what we can reach with the Large Hadron Collider.
This is an idea which has been around for many years, and an international team have been pursuing the design work and developing the technology necessary. Something on this scale is beyond what a single country could build, so it will be a global project.
But before we can build it, we need to persuade governments around the world to fund it. This is proving to be the tricky part. The benefits to a country’s economy of hosting a science project like this are big, as the largest share of the money from all around the world is spent in that country. Of course this does mean the host country is expected to pay a bigger share. At one time, it looked like the USA and Europe would be competing to host it. Unfortunately as the expected cost and government stinginess has increased, the authorities on both side of the Atlantic are no longer so enthusiastic.
Then there was a plan by the Russian particle physics community to host it in Russia. Which would have been great way to boost science in that country. Unfortunately the plan required finding a local billionaire willing to pay the bill, and sadly, no suitable oligarch could be found.
So the Linear Collider fans are pinning their hopes on Japan, whose government has expressed a stronger interest in the project than any other country. Let us hope that the combination of exciting science, potential big economic benefits, and a cute little cat will be enough to convince them.
Hey, whatever gets the next generation of accelerators accelerating. Though I'm pretty sure this is how about five different anime series start. First they build the accelerator, then something goes wrong, and the next thing you know, some schlub and his magical girl harem have to defend Tokyo Tower from a sapient black hole voiced by Norio Wakamoto.
How muich did the big transport tunnel under teh Alps cost to build, and that was nearly 60 km?
Pity the ILC cant be built in the next tunnel over.
Then again, under a mountain range, how much is the Earth flexing over the expected lifespan of the project, and how often would Japan move by a couple of metres in a few seconds over teh same period?
4232830
And the downside of this is...?
4232830 4232944
Supporting anime production as well as the civil engineering and scientific instrument industries. This really is a win win for Japan,