America to end its search for the 'God particle'

[unhappycamper]

The Tevatron is buried deep underground, but the location of the giant particle collider has been traced in red on this undated photo. The Tevatron collider, four miles in circumference, accelerates protons and antiprotons close to the speed of light and smashes them into each other millions of times per second as it searches for the Higgs boson, or 'God particle.' With the Tevatron's funding cut, the search will continue only in Europe, at CERN.


America to end its search for the 'God particle'
By Pete Spotts, Staff writer / January 13, 2011

For nearly three decades, the United States has hosted the world's most powerful particle collider – a critical tool scientists use to probe the nature of matter and the origins of the universe.

This week, the director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which operates the machine, announced that the lab would pull the plug on the device, known as the Tevatron, at the end of the current fiscal year.

The announcement marks the second high-profile US science and technology program to undergo significant transition in 2011. Word of the Tevatron's retirement comes as NASA's shuttle program works its way through its final two scheduled flights.

In each case, fiscal challenges have prompted presidential administrations to seek ways the US can remain an influential player – but with sustainable budgets. And the rising cost of ambitions in both spheres have dictated a higher degree of international participation on future projects than has been the case historically.

To some in the field, the loss of the Tevatron – with no next-generation US replacement – represents evidence of erosion eating away at America's scientific leadership. Others see it as a transition that still allows for cutting-edge physics.

[FreakinDJ]

1. America in Decline - The End of a SuperPower

Racing towards 3rd World Status at the speed of light

[phantom power]

2. What a fucking waste

I can't believe they're shutting it down.

:(

[Recursion]

3. I can. There's much better ways Fermilab can spend that money.

Sure, we'd all love to find a Higgs boson (though I don't think they exist), but that money could fund hundreds of grad students and post-docs doing less sexy but ultimately more important research.

[phantom power]

4. I find it hard to believe there's no useful experiments a facility like that couldn't be used for.

Higgs boson, schmoson -- there must be something (less sexy, as you say) that you could do with it.

On the other hand, I've been wrong before.

[Recursion]

5. In fairness, I'm an EE and I envy physicists their toys

So it may just be that talking.

[BadgerKid]

7. And fundage presupposes enough GOP votes in Congress, yes?

I want to see what will happen to NSF and NIH funding.

[charlie]

6. What a comedown

We started and abandoned a 50+ mile collider. Now, we can't even hang on to our 4 mile collider.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. All of $35 million a year needed to keep it running ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=228&topic_id=75020&mesg_id=75020

The Pentagon had misplaced $2.3 trillion by 2001, and has misplaced some $15 billion in Iraq. The smaller number is nearly **500 TIMES** what is needed to run Fermilab for a year, and the larger number is nearly **100,000 TIMES** larger.

To put it in other terms, Fermilab needs ~$0.11 per US resident per year. And we can't afford that.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Can't really be about the money, can it?

Not when we're talking 11 cents.

Has to be an attempt to stop science in its tracks.