The European Organization for Nuclear Research recently announced plans for a jumbo-sized apparatus that would put the current Large Hadron Collider to shame. Going with the name of Future Circular Collider, it would encompass a 62-mile tunnel capable generating nearly five times the amount of energy current supplied by the 16-mile long LHC.
Now, CERN is basically comprised of the smartest physicists on the planet. So, whoever they put on their shortlist would theoretically be unquestionably qualified for such a task … right? CERN is reportedly talking to Elon Musk and his Boring Company to dig the tunnel, which is projected to cost over $27 billion.
And while Musk does have his hands full with making Tesla profitable and juggling little things like figuring out how to launch even bigger SpaceX rockets, his Boring Company has showed promise in the form of a 1.14-mile stretch of tunnel it recently completed for about $10 million in Hawthorne, California. A retrofitted Model X SUV was reportedly able to transport people on the track at up to 50 mph.
Scientists hope that a more powerful collider will allow for expanded research of the Higgs-Boson particle and other subjects such as dark matter and matter-antimatter interactions. You know, simple stuff that could provide groundbreaking answers to how basically everything in our universe works.
If The Boring Company does get chosen, the good news for Musk is that the deadline is pretty generous. The tunnel isn’t planned for use until 2040.