China is planning to build the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, which has sparked controversy within its scientific community. While the construction cost of over 5 billion USD is substantial, physicist Eliezer Rabinovici believes that Chinese scientists have the capacity to build it. The proposed circular electron positron accelerator (CEPC) would far exceed the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN with a circumference of 100 km.
Despite opposition from Nobel laureate Yang Chen-ning, who cites more pressing issues such as economic development and environmental protection, Rabinovici believes that China’s scientific potential is being underestimated. He has witnessed significant progress in Chinese science during his visit in April.
The debate over whether China should build the world’s largest particle accelerator has been ongoing for nearly a decade. Wang Yifang, director of IHEP, proposed the CEPC project in 2012 following the discovery of the Higgs boson in Europe. By accelerating electrons and positrons to high energies and colliding them, the CEPC would enable scientists to make new discoveries beyond the standard model of particle physics.
If approved, construction of the CEPC could begin within the next three years, pending government licenses and funding. Despite controversy surrounding the project, many international physicists have recognized its potential impact on scientific research globally.