Recently, Hong Kong's well-known international media "South China Morning Post" published an article discussing China's ability to build the world's largest particle accelerator, the "Ring Positron Collider" (or CEPC).
The president of CERN (CERN), Eliezer Rabinovici, said that he has confidence in the capabilities of Chinese scientists and believes that China will be able to build this machine. With an estimated cost of $50 billion, the CEPC will have a circumference of 100 kilometers, far exceeding the existing Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Despite the controversy surrounding the project in the Chinese scientific community and the general public, Rabinovici believes that China has a strong talent pool and that Chinese scientists have made great progress in solving some of the toughest challenges facing CEPC.
Giants rise to challenge the limits of technology
Recently, Professor Eliezer Rabinovic, the current president of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and a top physicist in Israel, said during a visit to China that he is confident that Chinese scientists will build the world's largest particle collider, the Ring Positron Collider (CEPC).
The supermachine, which is expected to cost 36 billion yuan (US$5 billion), will be much larger than the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is now operated by CERN, and demonstrates China's ambitions in the field of high-energy physics research.
China's scientific and technological prowess has grown exponentially over the past few decades, especially in the basic science of physics. Professor Rabinovich mentioned that over the years, many Chinese physicists have worked at CERN and accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge, which makes them fully capable of building and operating such a complex research facility independently. In addition, the Chinese government's strong investment in scientific research and high emphasis on innovation have provided solid financial and policy support for this ambitious project.
However, the project has also sparked widespread controversy and discussion. China's scientific community and the public are divided over whether they should invest in such a sprawling scientific facility, with the most prominent opposition coming from Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Yang Chenning, who renounced his American citizenship. He pointed out in 2016 that the construction of the supercollider "is not what China needs right now" given its current and more urgent need to address issues such as economic development and environmental protection.
From Professor Rabinovic's point of view, despite the challenges, the essence of science is to explore the unknown. The CEPC project can not only accelerate electrons and their antiparticles, positrons, and generate millions of Higgs bosons through high-energy collisions, but also may reveal new physical phenomena beyond the Standard Model, and promote theoretical updates and technological innovation in the entire physics community.
At the same time, this large-scale research facility is expected to attract tens of thousands of scientists from around the world, including top physicists from the United States, Europe and China, among others. Although Professor Yang Zhenning and others are concerned that huge investments may squeeze funding from other social and scientific fields, in the long run, CEPC's scientific research achievements and technological breakthroughs may bring immeasurable value to China and all mankind.
In my opinion, we should proceed from the overall situation of the country's long-term development and global scientific and technological competition, and comprehensively evaluate whether such a huge investment in science and technology is in the national interest.
Judging from the reactions from all sides, the CEPC project is not only the construction of scientific research facilities, but also an important demonstration of China's scientific and technological strength and international status. And we, as witnesses and narrators, have a responsibility to report and analyze this event objectively and comprehensively, so that the public can better understand its far-reaching significance.
The strategic significance of investment in scientific research
Against the backdrop of increasingly fierce international competition in science and technology, the question of whether China should invest heavily in building the world's largest particle collider has aroused widespread concern and heated discussion in the whole society.
From a strategic point of view, CEPC is not only a scientific research project, but also a symbol of China's competitiveness and influence on the global scientific and technological stage. By building and operating such a world-class research facility, China will be able to sit on an equal footing with the United States, Europe and other scientific and technological powers in the field of high-energy physics research, and even take the lead in some aspects.
Although Professor Yang Zhenning and others worry that such a large amount of investment in research could squeeze China's more pressing social and economic needs, such as environmental protection, education and health care. However, we should also realize that scientific and technological progress itself is an important driving force for economic development and social progress.
A high level of investment in scientific research can drive the development of high-end industries and promote the growth of educational and technical talents, thereby enhancing the country's comprehensive competitiveness on a broader scale. In addition, successful research projects can bring direct economic returns, such as the industrialization of new technologies and the commercialization of related scientific research results.
Contribution to the future of science
The construction of the CEPC project will not only help scientists answer fundamental questions in the universe, such as how matter acquires mass, but also may reveal the mysteries between matter and antimatter, as well as other deep structures of the universe.
This kind of far-reaching scientific exploration will add new precious materials to the treasure trove of human knowledge, and its scientific value and educational significance cannot be measured in monetary terms. At the same time, such scientific research achievements can also greatly enhance China's status and influence in global scientific research.
The technical challenges faced by the CEPC project are enormous, which not only test the innovation ability of Chinese scientists and the ability to solve complex problems, but also require the cooperation and support of the international scientific and technological community. Through such large-scale international cooperation projects, China can further establish close cooperation with scientific research institutions and scientists around the world, and jointly push the boundaries of science forward.
In summary, despite the huge investment and risks associated with the CEPC project, in the long run, it is a strategic investment that will help enhance the country's scientific and technological strength, promote its international standing, and potentially lead to major scientific breakthroughs.
We should consider its economic, social and scientific value in a holistic manner and look at this controversial research project rationally.
In this way, we are not only paving the way for today's China, but also opening up new possibilities for the world of tomorrow.