CERN's council is advocating for the Future Circular Collider, a proposed $17 billion project that would surpass the LHC in size, despite skepticism about its cost due to limited results from the LHC.
Thomson likens the complexity of particle physics data to protein folding problems tackled by AI, emphasizing the transformative potential of these technologies.
Prof. Mark Thomson is set to become the director general of CERN on January 1, 2026, and he believes that advanced artificial intelligence (AI) will significantly transform fundamental physics and enhance our understanding of the universe's fate.
Thomson highlights the goal of producing two Higgs bosons simultaneously to measure Higgs self-coupling for the first time, which is fundamental to understanding mass acquisition in the universe.
The measurement of Higgs self-coupling could reveal whether the Higgs field has reached a stable state or if drastic changes are possible, which has significant implications for the universe's future.
Thomson noted that even five years ago, he would have deemed the discoveries now being pursued at the LHC beyond its capabilities.
Detecting two Higgs bosons simultaneously is extremely rare, as they decay quickly into more familiar particles, making this measurement a significant challenge.
Despite some skepticism regarding the LHC's recent lack of groundbreaking results since the Higgs boson discovery in 2012, Thomson remains optimistic that AI will accelerate the search for new physics.
Generative AI is being utilized to explore the elusive nature of dark matter at the LHC, allowing for more open-ended inquiries into unexpected data findings.
AI is already playing a crucial role at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), optimizing data collection and analysis, which allows scientists to manage the vast amount of information generated by approximately 40 million collisions per second.
Dr. Katharine Leney emphasizes that AI is integral to the LHC's operations, enabling the selection of interesting collision events from the massive data stream.
The LHC employs strategies to identify rare events that could explain how particles acquired mass shortly after the Big Bang, with significant discoveries expected after 2030 when the LHC's beam intensity will increase tenfold.
