Article ID: CBB001220408

Big Science and the Large Hadron Collider (2012)

unapi

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the particle accelerator operating at CERN, is probably the most complex and ambitious scientific project ever accomplished by humanity. The sheer size of the enterprise, in terms of financial and human resources, naturally raises the question whether society should support such costly basic-research programs. I address this question by first reviewing the process that led to the emergence of Big Science and the role of large projects in the development of science and technology. I then compare the methodologies of Small and Big Science, emphasizing their mutual linkage. Finally, after examining the cost of Big Science projects, I highlight several general aspects of their beneficial implications for society.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001220408/

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Authors & Contributors
Crease, Robert P.
Hallonsten, Olof
Lincoln, Don
Hoffmann, Hans Falk
Heinze, Thomas
Wink, Rüdiger
Concepts
Particle accelerators
Physics
Atomic, nuclear, and particle physics
Scientific apparatus and instruments
Big science
Government sponsored science
Time Periods
20th century, late
21st century
20th century
20th century, early
Places
United States
Switzerland
Europe
Sweden
Germany
France
Institutions
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (United States)
European Spallation Source (ESS)
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
Argonne National Laboratory (Illinois)
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