Cool Copper Collider is the key to understanding the universe without harming the planet.
Looking for new ways to study the mysterious Higgs particle discovered in 2012, scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have proposed an innovative approach to creating more energy-efficient colliders. Their work, published in the journal PRX Energy, presents the Cool Copper Collider project, which promises to cut energy consumption in half.
The researchers looked at three key aspects: the collider's operating methods, its design, and its location, which unexpectedly has a significant impact on the project's carbon footprint. Caterina Vernieri, an assistant professor at SLAC, stressed the importance of integrating environmental impact into research projects, while her colleague Emilio Nanni added that the sustainability of institutions will help inspire the public and future generations.
Cool Copper Collider offers to solve the problem of the length-to-energy ratio of most linear accelerators thanks to a new design with more precisely tuned electromagnetic fields and a new cryogenic cooling system. This will make it possible to create a relatively inexpensive and small collider with a length of only about eight kilometers, which will nevertheless be able to explore the extreme limits of particle physics.
Attention to environmental sustainability was also paid to the construction of Cool Copper Collider. The researchers suggested using different materials, such as different types of concrete, and paying attention to how they are produced and transported. In addition, the smaller size of the collider will reduce the overall use of materials and select construction sites that will simplify and speed up the process.
It was also taken into account that the location of the Cool Copper Collider project may affect the ratio of the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, which opens up the possibility of building your own solar farm with an energy storage system to meet the needs of the accelerator.
Finally, the SLAC and Stanford team compared Cool Copper Collider with other future collider offerings, as well as linear and circular accelerators in terms of carbon footprint when performing similar measurements. It turned out that construction is the main source of the project's carbon footprint, but circular colliders that can achieve similar scientific goals usually have higher emissions associated with construction. At the same time, shorter boosters like the Cool Copper Collider have less global warming potential compared to longer ones.
This study opens a new page in the discussion of the carbon footprint of particle physics and highlights the need to integrate environmental sustainability into research projects.
Looking for new ways to study the mysterious Higgs particle discovered in 2012, scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have proposed an innovative approach to creating more energy-efficient colliders. Their work, published in the journal PRX Energy, presents the Cool Copper Collider project, which promises to cut energy consumption in half.
The researchers looked at three key aspects: the collider's operating methods, its design, and its location, which unexpectedly has a significant impact on the project's carbon footprint. Caterina Vernieri, an assistant professor at SLAC, stressed the importance of integrating environmental impact into research projects, while her colleague Emilio Nanni added that the sustainability of institutions will help inspire the public and future generations.
Cool Copper Collider offers to solve the problem of the length-to-energy ratio of most linear accelerators thanks to a new design with more precisely tuned electromagnetic fields and a new cryogenic cooling system. This will make it possible to create a relatively inexpensive and small collider with a length of only about eight kilometers, which will nevertheless be able to explore the extreme limits of particle physics.
Attention to environmental sustainability was also paid to the construction of Cool Copper Collider. The researchers suggested using different materials, such as different types of concrete, and paying attention to how they are produced and transported. In addition, the smaller size of the collider will reduce the overall use of materials and select construction sites that will simplify and speed up the process.
It was also taken into account that the location of the Cool Copper Collider project may affect the ratio of the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources, which opens up the possibility of building your own solar farm with an energy storage system to meet the needs of the accelerator.
Finally, the SLAC and Stanford team compared Cool Copper Collider with other future collider offerings, as well as linear and circular accelerators in terms of carbon footprint when performing similar measurements. It turned out that construction is the main source of the project's carbon footprint, but circular colliders that can achieve similar scientific goals usually have higher emissions associated with construction. At the same time, shorter boosters like the Cool Copper Collider have less global warming potential compared to longer ones.
This study opens a new page in the discussion of the carbon footprint of particle physics and highlights the need to integrate environmental sustainability into research projects.
