Pakistan contributes significantly to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider

[Lonewarrior]

We are all familiar with CERN to some extent, especially its infamous Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that gets our minds whizzing with particle physics and the key it holds to unlocking so many of the universe’s mysteries. In what is undoubtedly a moment of immense pride for the country, Pakistan has started contributing significantly to the LHC.

The LHC is the world’s most powerful and largest particle collider, and easily the largest and most complex experimental facility ever built. Generally used to conduct particle experiments and attempt to trace the answers to complex questions about the origins of our universe, the LHC made waves back in 2012 when it discovered the sub-atomic particle we have come to identify as the Higgs-Boson.

According to details, a high-rate Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) installed in the LHC was designed at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the National Centre for Physics (NCP) Islamabad while it was manufactured at the Heavy Mechanical Complex (HMC) Taxila.

There are 300 RPCs installed in the LHC, of which 245 were designed and built in Pakistan.
Pakistan had won the contract for manufacturing 288 RPCS by beating top Chinese and Japanese companies, including Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

https://www.techjuice.pk/pakistan-contributes-significantly-to-cerns-large-hadron-collider/

https://propakistani.pk/2020/10/23/major-parts-of-cerns-large-hadron-collider-are-made-by-pakistan-atomic-energy-commission/

 

[The Viper]

Society benefits from investing in particle physics

Large-scale scientific facilities, such as those for conducting particle-physics research, are financed by society. A team of economists recently performed a cost–benefit analysis of upgrading the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). They concluded that the socioeconomic and cultural benefits gained from the project – not including potential scientific discoveries – exceed the total pecuniary investment.

In 2025, the LHC will receive a huge boost in its performance. The “high-luminosity” upgrade of the machine will deliver up to ten times more collisions every time protons cross within its gigantic detectors. It will extend the life and potential of the accelerator to 2038 at a total cost of 2.9 billion Swiss francs for materials and personnel.

The economists concluded that, purely in financial terms, every Swiss franc invested in the HL-LHC upgrade would pay back approximately 1.8 Swiss francs in societal benefits. These include the training of young scientists, collaboration with industry on developing and rolling out new technology, cultural benefits mainly through on-site visits and exhibitions, scientific output measured in total papers published and the value of the project as a public good.

https://home.cern/news/news/cern/society-benefits-investing-particle-physics