CNPEM will contribute knowledge on accelerators, scientific instrumentation and advanced technologies
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo has signed a cooperation agreement with CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) to be part of a feasibility study for the Future Circular Collider. The research is intended to develop the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, one even more advanced than the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) located on the border between Switzerland and France.
Salvatore Mele (left), Senior Adviser for International Relations at CERN, and Antonio José Roque da Silva, Director-General of CNPEM (Photo: Ana Gouveia/CBPF)
Led by CERN and with the participation of scientific institutions from several countries, the study evaluates the technical, environmental and financial aspects of building a new circular collider 80 to 100 kilometers in circumference that will be capable of attaining collision energies ten times greater than the LHC. The LHC is one of the world’s largest scientific investments; it is located underground and is essential to advances in physics research and investigating the composition of the universe.
Researchers from CNPEM, which is home to Sirius (one of only a few 4th-generation synchrotron light accelerators currently active in the world), will contribute their knowledge on accelerators, scientific instrumentation and the development of advanced technologies. Brazil became a benchmark in this area with the construction of Sirius in Campinas.
“The skills developed by CNPEM in building Sirius, a project that involved significant participation by Brazilian industry, consolidate the national knowledge base and create opportunities to effectively participate in major global scientific and technological endeavors. At the same time, these skills support and expand the country’s capacities to advance in areas like energy, health and other cutting-edge technologies,” says James Citadini, Deputy Director of Technology.
With this partnership CNPEM is officially involved in the project, strengthening Brazil’s presence in groundbreaking international initiatives in physics and scientific engineering. “CNPEM’s participation in the global consortium demonstrates the maturity of Brazilian science and its ability to collaborate on large-scale scientific projects,” said CNPEM director José Roque.
The feasibility study also considers the sustainability of the infrastructure and its socio-economic impacts in France and Switzerland, the countries that are home to CERN. The project is intended to serve as a foundation for future decisions on constructing the collider, considered the next big step in global particle physics.
The Future Circular Collider is being designed in two stages: one focused on electron and positron collisions, which will permit high-precision research on the Higgs boson and other fundamental particles, and a second stage for collisions between hadrons, capable of reaching energies of around 100 trillion electron volts.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
