In search of new ways to study the mysterious particle of Higgs, discovered in 2012, scientists from the National Laboratory of SLAC and Stanford University has proposed an innovative approach to creating more energy-efficient colliders. Their work, published in the journal PrX Energy, presents the Cool Copper Collider, which promises to reduce the energy supply in half.
The researchers examined three key aspects: the methods of operation of the collider, its design, and location, which unexpectedly has a significant impact on the carbon trace of the project. Katerina Vernieri, assistant professor at SLAC, emphasized the importance of taking into account the environmental impact in scientific projects, and her colleague Emilio Nunny added that the sustainability of institutions will help inspire the public and future generations.
The Cool Copper Collider proposes to solve the problem of the ratio of the length and energy of most linear accelerators thanks to a new design with more accurate electromagnetic fields and a new cryogenic cooling system. This will create a relatively inexpensive and small collider, only about eight kilometers long, which nevertheless can explore the extreme boundaries of particle physics.
Attention to environmental stability did not pass by the construction of the Cool Copper Collider. Researchers suggested using various materials, such as different types of concrete, and paying attention to the methods of their production and transportation. In addition, the smaller size of the collider will reduce the total use of materials and choose places for construction, which will simplify and speed up the process.
It was also taken into account that the location of the COOL Copper Collider project can affect the ratio of the use of fossil fuel and renewable energy sources, which opens up the possibility of building its own solar farm with an accelerator storage system to ensure the needs of the accelerator.
In conclusion, the SLAC and Stanford team compared the Cool Copper Collider with other offers of future colliders, as well as linear and circular accelerators from the point of view of a carbon trace when performing similar measurements. It turned out that construction is the main source of the carbon trace of the project, but circular colliders that can achieve similar scientific goals usually have higher emissions related to construction. At the same time, shorter accelerators, such as 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 trace of elementary particle physics and emphasizes the need to integrate environmental stability into scientific projects.