Des Moines Register
02-09-07
Another View: Unlocking secrets of science
The unveiling of the design parameters for a major international physics project
on Thursday furthers the history of scientific partnership on big accelerators for
pure physics research. And it demonstrates the potential of making a better world
through international collaboration, rather than conflict.
The announcement came at a meeting in Beijing that I attended with physicists
from around the world. The project will design and build the International Linear
Collider, a 30-kilometer accelerator and associated detectors, which will study
the most fundamental questions about the universe in which we live. One of the
four international detector collaborations is centered at Iowa State University.
The costs of the International Linear Collider project in "international units" are
about $2 billion for the as-yet-undetermined site and about $5 billion for the
actual pieces of the accelerator. It would require 2,000 people per year for
construction.
Barry Barish, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology and
leader of the international design effort, noted that in addition to the science and
technological benefits, "a major benefit is sociological, involving the peaceful
collaboration among nations."
Shin-Ichi Kurokawa, chair of the Asian Committee on Future Accelerators, voiced
his belief that the project "will benefit ordinary human life" and cited the
spectacular increase in the use of superconducting technologies in society.
The collider will help physicists around the world research core questions about
the nature of the universe, such as the origin of mass, dark matter, dark energy
and extra dimensions.
John Hauptman, professor of physics, Iowa State University.