The protons will soon be speeding around the LHC, and there is no other topic of conversation here at CERN. Without getting too carried away , this moment is why many of us got into physics in the first place. One of my favorite professors in college liked to say that in physics we are constantly ascending a spiral staircase, gaining knowledge as we climb up, but also gaining new perspectives on what we already know as we go round and round. The LHC has the potential to turn this staircase into an escalator for a time, rapidly unveiling new vistas to us as we ascend. Simultaneously, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of some well-known phenomena, perhaps replacing some parts of our current knowledge of how the universe works with a deeper understanding of why it works the way it does. I believe that no matter how long I remain in this field, that when I look back years from now, the next few years will be the most interesting time in my career in physics.
My wish is that the excitement everyone involved in this project shares is conveyed well to those outside the community of physicists, as they briefly glance in this direction with the upcoming media attention. It is often asked what value our work has for the world, given its high cost. Perhaps in the next few years, as another few layers of the cosmic onion are peeled back with this magnificent machine, some people can be swayed over to my view, that humankind’s future is entwined with our common curiosity about the universe; that the path of our further progress will be paved by pushing forward with this curiosity as our motivation, and that the value of these sorts of projects is that they not only teach us more about our home, this universe, but that they show us what we are capable of when we unite in this common curiosity and work together.
Tags: LHC
