Hello, and welcome to this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, which is supported by Atlas Technologies. This week, our guest is Mark Thompson, who will be the next director general of CERN, the world's leading particle physics lab and home to the Large Hadron Collider. Thompson will begin his 5 year term as DG in January 2026. And in a wide ranging conversation with physics world's michael banks he shares his vision of the future of cern including the high luminosity lhc.
They also chat about long term strategies for particle physics research, the challenges of managing large international scientific organizations, and about Thomson's career in particle physics so far. This episode is supported by Atlas Technologies. Atlas custom aluminum and titanium vacuum chambers and bimetal flanges and fittings are used everywhere from physics labs to semiconductor fabs.
And they're built in a fully integrated facility with on-site design, development, and manufacturing capabilities. Let Atlas help you solve your next engineering challenge. Learn more at atlasuhv.com. Oh, hi, Mark. So first of all, congratulations on becoming the, next director general CERN, which, you know, is one of the biggest jobs in particle physics, indeed, if not in all of physics itself.
So thanks for joining us, to talk about this exciting new role, which I believe you'll start in earnest next year, replacing current CERN boss, Fabiola Gianotti. So how about we, maybe we start off a little bit with a bit about yourself, your background, your interests in particle physics, and kind of what positions you've held and and currently hold. Yeah. Yeah. No. Very, very happy. My my background, I guess, is is kind of slight, slightly unusual route.
I was the 1st person in my family to go to university. So that that feels like a very long time ago. But my interest in physics and in particle physics actually started when I was relatively young, when I was about 14, maybe 13. And that was actually from reading a popular textbook about CERN. I didn't know it was about CERN at the time. Actually, it was about particle physics, and that really got me interested in wanting to understand the universe at a really fundamental level.
So that really started my, kind of my, my journey. Obviously I turned out to be quite good at mathematics and physics. So, which helped. So I'd say I was the first person in my family to go to university. I went to Oxford, studied physics, and then did a doctorate in Oxford, actually on a not on a collider experiment, but on a, deep underground experiment looking for, looking at things like cosmic rays, neutrinos, and possibly
decaying protons. So really interesting. That was in that was in the US. And then in, I think it was about 1993, I I started working for UCL as a research fellow. That was the first time I went to CERN. And, I then wanted to continue working at CERN, and I actually got a CERN CERN employment for 6 years working on the large electron positron collider, which was the predecessor of the Large Hadron Collider. Fortunate enough to work on some of the really big measurements there of the w and
z bosons and electroweak unification. So great, really, really great time in my life. Subsequently, in 2000, I got a lectureship at the university of Cambridge, came back to the UK and and set up, the Neutrino group there. So this is a kind of a trans trans, you know, change in research direction, something I was always interested in as well. And that really started my kind of working relationship with Fermulab as well, the big US
laboratory. So I was working on a long, a lot a neutrino oscillation experiment, firing a beam from Fermulab near Chicago to Minnesota, which is exactly where my old experiment was when I was a PhD student. So that was, that was, that was a good time. Over the last 20 years, at, you know, working for Cambridge, I, I, I kind of oscillated between, collider physics and neutrino physics, and sometimes doing both in parallel.
Probably the biggest, biggest step forward was in about 2030, 2015 when I became spokesperson of the deep underground neutrino experiment. That's the US mega science project for neutrinos. Really fascinating, really challenging and ambitious project. And then in 2018, I was appointed as the executive chair of the science and technology facilities council. So that's part of UK research and innovation. It's a unusual kind of funding agency. It funds particle physics and astronomy in the UK.
But it also has very strong international engagement, runs the relay like, kind of, maintains the relationship with organizations such as CERN Square Kilometre Array Observatory there's a long list. But also runs some of the UK's biggest, national infrastructure. So the the big multidisciplinary facilities at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Dyersbury Laboratory.
So in that role, it was both strategic funding of particle physics and astronomy, but actually also running a very large scientific organization with about 2,222,800 scientific and technical and engineering staff. So that was, if you like very good preparation for, the role I'm about to start start in in 1 year's time. So that's kind of the the the journey I the journey I took to get to where I am today. So you mentioned that, of course, managing some,
you know, big international labs. So what was it in particular that interested you about becoming, CERN director general? It's a really it's an interesting one. I I don't think there was ever a moment where I just said, oh, I must I must do this. I mean, I I mean, as I said, I've I've for a very long time, I've had a passion for particle physics. I mean, this and and of course, CERN is such an important part of the global particle physics landscape.
I've also worked here. I've I've spent 6 years on CERN council, so I know the organization. So it's the combin combination of the science, which is incredible knowing the organization. And then the experience I kind of built up over the last, 6 and a bit years, actually running very well, actually beyond that. In fact, firstly, a big scientific collaboration. And then actually running a big science organization.
And And at that point, I realized I kind of had all of the all of the tools, all of the tools to do the job, the right experience, I believe. And I think I do have the right experience. And Stern has just, you know, been a big part of my life for many, many years. So just a fantastic opportunity for me. And and when you actually then were it was announced early November that you, you know, would become next,
send director general. I mean, what were your kind of first thoughts when you when you heard the news? I suppose strange I suppose strange this answer is a strange one. I actually can't remember. It's one of the it's one of these things where I it, you know, it kind of sunk in, but it didn't really sink in until the evening, actually. I think my first thoughts were more around, well, okay, that's I'm obviously very happy, and that's fantastic, but it was almost,
what happens now? What what what yeah. What's gonna happen in the next 5 minutes? So it's kinda, yeah, it's quite a quite a surreal moment, actually, kind of a you know? So I was I was sitting hidden away at CERN somewhere. So What does your role in entail now then? So I believe you'll be kinda your CERN director general designate. So you is it kind of a shadowing kind of role you have
for for for almost a year? No. I mean, it's it's it's it's a really I think it's a really, really good, good way of making, a transition to an into a new role like this because it's a complex role. There'll be a little as a little bit of shadowing, but it's not, you know, it's not the you can't shadow someone for the next, you know, for a year. That doesn't make very much sense.
But what I really have to do is, well, first really understand the organization, how it works from the inside, what's the organizational structures, how how do things actually happen, and of course, get to know the people, get to know the, the the the fantastic CERN staff. And that's kind of what I've already started, started doing. So, a lot of my time at the moment is meeting, meeting with people and just talking about, you know, how things, how things are
operating. So that's a big, big part of this year. I also have the opportunity to think about what I might want to change in terms in terms of the structure, nothing, you know, and you don't do things too radical radically, but, just having a look at where I think maybe we can make things work better. So that's certainly part of it. And then there's putting in place the team that will work with me,
from January. So that's, that's quite a big chunk of work, actually, just understand and getting to know the people, thinking about how, how, how I want, how I want to actually run the organization.
And the second aspect, which is gonna play a big, big part of this year is, the European particle physics community, roughly every 7 years runs a process called the European strategy for particle physics, which is a very strong bottom up community led process, where the European particle physics community actually thinks about future strategy.
And that process is going to actually happen throughout this year, so that's gonna be a big part of big part of this year's work as well, engaging very strongly with our strategy process, which is interesting and great fun, actually. So so that's broadly what I'll be doing what I'll be doing this year. So those those two two key aspects. Mhmm. You touched on it a little bit in your in your previous answer answer, but it and it sometimes feels a little bit
like with the certain director general position. It's a little bit like Doctor Who, you know, every every so often, you know, Doctor Who kind of regenerates into into someone into someone else. I mean, what do you think your kind of leadership style may be as you take up take up the role? I mean, obviously, you know, the past 6 6 plus years, I've been in major leadership
roles. And I and I think I think the thing I what I like to do, I firstly, I like to put put around me a very strong leadership team, and then be willing and genuinely delegate and trust the leadership team to deliver the kind of straight you know, I'm I'm there to help set the strategic direction, but actually to empower them to deliver. So that's that's one aspect.
And I think the advantage of that is it gives, will give me in a leadership role, the opportunity to take a really, a more outward focused and actually engage with the member states. Obviously promote CERN around the member states, and talk to the communities in the member states as well. So that's, that's part of it. So it's really delegating and trusting the leaders leadership team.
And in general, what I want to do, and I think my leadership style is to put in place, I think culture is culture is a very difficult word, but it is, it really is a culture where the staff are empowered, because CERN has brilliant scientific staff, and they're brilliant people, brilliant engineers, and brilliant technical staff.
And I certainly want to ensure that the culture at CERN is is where those people can really thrive, and actually have have, you know, that enough freedom where where they can really, you know, bring bring that that brilliance to the forefront and actually support the mission of CERN. So that's part of it. I think the other the other bit, in terms of leadership, it's really again, it's a
cultural thing. I'm I mean, I I tend to operate in a very open and transparent way, and that's very I think that's very important to me because I think what that does is it builds up builds up trust within both within the organization, but actually within all of the organization's partners. And CERN being an international organization, it's a very complex landscape, with 24 member states, associate member states. And so,
so that's PassFit. And I, and I think the final, the final thing really that I'm, I'm absolutely, 100% behind is the, include you being an inclusive organization. And that, that can mean many, many different things. And that's, certainly going to be part of, part of my focus. What can I do to make CERN even more inclusive? Because actually CERN is, it is a, you know, the the culture at
CERN is just wonderful. You walk around the cafeteria, young people from many different countries, all getting on working to, you know, because everybody's here to pursue a common goal. And it's a, it's, it's just a wonderful inspiring environment. And hopefully that gives you some kind of sense of style, and the style is always a difficult one to characterise. I mean, CERN also being being CERN director
general is also a very public role. You know, lots of media interviews such as this one, for example. You know, is that something you enjoy doing, you know, the how how will you kind of deal with that very public facing kind of aspect to the role? I mean, it's something I've had a a reasonable amount of experience in in my last my last role, particularly in my last two roles, in fact. That's something I really enjoy. So it's not a it's not a burden
at all. So it's great talking to people like you, and it's great talking to the press. And I also I mean, one of the things I also enjoy is, very, very much actually is when I go out and speak to either the public or to the scientific community is actually engaging in, you know, q and a type sessions and being as open as you possibly can. You can have a there's always things you have to be a bit careful about, but, but I
actually really, really enjoy that engagement. So it's something I, you know, really I like a lot. And, you know, it's a it's a to me, it's an actual real positive aspect to the role.
And just moving on a little bit in terms of challenges, you know, recently, a few days ago, the news came out that Liam Mominga, the director of the US Particle Physics Lab, Fermilab, had stepped down following, you know, challenges with cost overruns of certain facilities as well as as well as, you know, cultural staff issues as well. You know, I wonder if you could just say something a little bit about what are some of the challenges, you know, managing such a large lab such as CERN?
Yeah. I can't certainly can't comment. I mean, I don't know the circumstances around, Leah's resignation. But, I mean, I think there are 2 aspects. I mean, large organize I mean, there there are big differences the way, I mean, CERN has a 24 member states. So that so one of the challenges, there are 24 member states and, managing, working with the member states to ensure that CERN is also delivering what the each of the member
states wants is really important. So I think that is one of the challenges, that relationship with the member states. And ultimately it's the, taxpayers in the member states that are paying for CERN. So that's really critical. So I think that's a layer of complexity. CERN has been running for now 70 years. It's just over 70 years old, celebrated its birthday in October. It's a really incredible organization in terms of the, technical and engineering heritage and all of the expertise
that lives with inside the organization. So it's a very, very strong organization because of that, because there's so much expertise. Now the challenge is, the CERN challenges in the next, 5, 6 years. So one of the things we're doing at the moment is we're we are building the high luminosity LHC. So it's part upgrade, but actually, it's a big big step up in capability, and that's
a major complex project. So there's a there's a let's deliver this project and get it on time and, obviously, deliver it on budget. But, again, building on all that expertise that exists at CERN. And the other the other big thing that's on the agenda, the HiLumi LHC will run from about 2030 to 20 early 20 forties. It's gonna be an absolutely brilliant brilliant step up in, CERN's capability. We do have to take a decision on what happens after the HiLumio LHC, so in the mid 20 forties.
Seems like a long way off, but these projects, you know, by the time you've decided what you wanted to do, designed, planned, you need a 20 year lead in. So that is gonna be a big, big part of the coming few years, actually deciding based on the scientific views of the community, what's the right thing for CERN to do, and then actually putting that project in place. So that those are the 2, I would say, the 2 the 2 big, big challenges.
And and CERN, maybe we could speak a little bit then about the high luminosity LHC. So SEND is currently shut down in terms of upgrading to that facility. So, what does that entail in terms of the actual accelerator complex, upgrading certain aspects of it? So, actually, at the moment, we're just in a kind of kind of a normal a normal shutdown, just year end shutdown.
But but but but in a year's time in a year's time or so, then, that, you know, the the the shutdown really start starts in earnest. So what the the the goal for the Hi Lumi LHC, is to increase the increase the brightness of the machine. It's something we call luminosity, but it basically means, you get more, more bang for your buck. You don't, get more energy, but you get more interaction. So you make many more Higgs bosons, for example, than you
did before. So it's a very, very big step up in that capability. And to do that, what you have to do is you have to, manipulate the beams. So we, we have these proton beams that are circulating the machine and squeeze them, squeeze them down even, even more finely right at where they interact in the experiments. That involves very, very complex, even more powerful superconducting magnets. I had had the chance to actually see the, the test facility that's been constructed for that,
just before Christmas, in fact. So this is actually a big chunk of the it's not it's not the ring of the accelerator, it's the the the straight bits that actually bring the protons that are cruising around the ring into collision at the at the experiments, using some very, very advanced technology. It's a it's a really technically challenging challenging, project. But the the sign the scientific benefits are are it's really exciting, hence.
I mean, could you elaborate a little bit on the scientific benefits of what, you know, what might might be So the the way the way I like to look at it, by the end of the LHC running, not the HiLumie LHC, but the LHC, we will have essentially taken about 10% of the overall dataset once you add. So it's 10 times more data. That's one thing. That that's a lot. That's so really are right at the start of the journey.
We're also or the scientific communities are also upgrading the experiments, so they're making the detect a very, very big detector even more precise. So every time you see something in one of these new upgraded detectors, you get a bit more information out of it, more physics. And the other thing that really excites me is, you know, the scientific community is incredibly imaginative. And, in in particle physics, we've always tended to be early adopters of new technologies.
So things like artificial I mean, real artificial intelligence are being used now. And, you know, the, the, the, the, indications are that that's gonna give you a huge step up in capability. So you've got 10 times more data, better detectors, and better techniques. So that can do a huge amount. So we're gonna make more precise measurements that you never know, you may see something that doesn't doesn't work.
There's a very specific measurement that we would like to make around the, the the nature of the Higgs mechanism. There's something very special about the Higgs boson that it has has a very strange vacuum potential, so it's kind of always there in the vacuum. With the high lumen LHC, we're gonna start to study the structure of that potential. That's a really, really fundamental measurement and actually a really exciting measurement.
Right on, well, no, we we'll be able to do it, but it but it a few years ago, I wasn't sure we'd be able to make that measurement. No. So that can't that isn't possible with the current l l h c. No. No. You need you need the you need the data and you also need the benefits of all of these tools as well. But that really is probing in some ways the structure of the vacuum.
It's a really important, really, really important measurement, and that's it's also a place where we might start to see new physics. And the final thing with the, you know, 10 times more data, better detectors, better techniques, this is a discovery machine. And really are the genuine discovery opportunities. And, sometimes people always ask me, you know, what what what do you hope to discover? And, I don't know. I mean, that's the whole
point. I mean, it's really this so it's not just do the great measurement, study the Higgs, we'll do that, but then there's the this opportunity to discover the the as as of yet unknown. So it's I think it's a really exciting really exciting program. And so when it comes beyond the high luminosity LHC, looking kind of at the next collider, so the community seems set on a so called Higgs factory, so a machine that would generate copious amounts of Higgs bosons.
But there's kind of it seems like there's not so much of an international consensus about what that might entail, you know, whether it's a linear collider or there's a circular collider like the LHC. I mean, Sone seems to have put its weight behind the future circular collider, so this is be a huge 91 kilometre circumference circular machine, and that will be based near the LHC.
And but it also seems to come with an eye eye watering cost of about 12,000,000,000, I believe, for the electron, electron positron version of that. Do you do you kind of see your job as a director general now as being, you know, securing funding for that machine? Yeah. So it's, I mean the I mean
you're right. I mean the the I think the consensus amongst the scientific community for a number of years has been that the next machine has to be the machine that, explores this thing we call the Higgs boson, which there's always a temptation, oh, it's just another particle, and it's not it's not at all. It's a completely different type of matter, unique. We've not seen anything like it ever, and it has some very, very strange properties, including the fact that it it's kind of always the field
is always there in the vacuum. That's really, really weird. So the scientific imperative to actually we've discovered something completely new. Let's go and really understand it and see, see if it is what we think it is. So the motivation for Higgs factory, I think is incredibly strong. You're right. The choice is a linear the choices of doing that are a linear linear collider or a large circular collider.
My personal view, is that the circular collider option gives you by, you know, significantly more capability. You you make more Higgs bosons basically. The the price tag is significant as you said, exact number to be, you know, there's a study going up at the moment to to actually pin down pin down the cost.
And these numbers always sound very large, but, of course, in some sense, these are, I mean, I think you mentioned 12, let's say, you have somewhere between 12 15,000,000,000 depending on what you actually include in the number that's spread over 15 years, 24 member states looking for contrib significant contributions from outside Europe. So the, the actual number is large, but but, it's also spread over a long period of time, contributions coming from many places.
And I think the other thing to remember, there is just one CERN in the world. It's not as if we have multiple CERNs and they're all, you know, we're we're asking for large amounts of money all of the time. We're really just doing, you know, the global community comes comes in behind something and we do something really spectacular. But of it but it I'm not saying it's gonna be easy to actually secure that jigsaw puzzle of resources because money will will need to come from outside Europe as
well. And that will be one of yeah. Will be one of my, assuming the European strategy indicates that this is the 3rd route, which, as I say, I for for me, it is. I think the the scientific arguments are are very strong. Then that would that would be certainly a significant part of the work over the the coming coming few years. And why do you think, you know, things have cooled a little bit
when it comes to linear designs? I mean, if you go back 10 or 15 years, it seems like the linear collider was a proposal that many were kind of following, you know, the ILC, the International Linear Collider project in Japan, for example. What's your kind of opinion on on that? So I I think there's, there was a opportunity, I think, actually back in about 2004 with the Tesla collider. That was a linear collider potentially was that was going to be considered to be hosted at Germany.
That would have been a very good time to build that, because then then we would have had the LHC and the in the International Linear Collider running in parallel, both looking at the Higgs boson. Now where we are today, the the choice almost the choice you have between linear and circular, A circular collider, we know we know how to build these things. So there's a if you like, there's, I would say, probably lower technological risk.
And the big advantage is the beams go round and round and round and round and keep colliding, and so you accelerate them once. So you get a lot of what we call luminosity. So we make many more Higgs bosons in a circular collider than we could do in a linear collider. The advantage of a linear collider is you can potentially go to somewhat higher energies.
Now that perhaps the scientific, arguments for doing that nowadays seem weaker than they were about 10, 15 years ago going up from that step of making Higgs bosons to getting a bit more energy. So for me, that's the clear difference. And I think that's why from a scientific perspective, the future, future circular collider looks so attractive.
And I think the other the other thing I would say about the future circular collider is, the tunnel itself is a, you know, significant part of the cost, 91 kilometers. That is a piece of research infrastructure that will be there for many years beyond the electron positron collider. And personally, and again, this is a personal, personal viewpoint. At some point in the future, we are gonna want a very, very high energy hadron collider to really to explore
the unknown. I mean, it really is an exploration machine. Building the FCC electron positron collider puts in place that infrastructure that could could in the future be be used to do that as well. So many, many I mean, there are many arguments for going down going down this route, and that will be a big part of the discussion around the European strategy for particle physics.
I wonder if I could also ask you about, China, because they're also considering, as I understand, a huge Higgs factory, the so called circular electron positron collider. You know, some say may be approved in the next few years, maybe 2027, built potentially in the 2030s, and then you're also these are all figures, of course. But that potential timescale is is much before potentially the the FCC would be built, even potentially approved. And is that something you're keeping an
eye on? You know, what would happen if China did go ahead with the CEPC? What, you know, what what would the implications be then for the FCC, for example? No. I think and I think that will be part of this European strategy for particle physics process to think about the ifs and the buts. Of course, nothing has really been decided in China. It's a big project. It might not go ahead.
And it's, you know, I would say it's quite easy to put down aggressive past timescales on paper, but actually delivering them, is always is always harder. And I think the big the big advantage CERN has and all and always will have, at least for the foreseeable future, is that 70 years of scientific and engineering heritage in building colliders and operating them. You know, this is the place in the world we do that.
I think that's gonna be an interesting question for the scientific community and, the the funding agencies around Europe if we do get into that position. But it's it's it's it's quite, you know, it's a complex landscape and, there are there are no certain no certainties there. And what do you also you make of, alternative technologies that kind of coming up recently?
I'm thinking here, for example, with muon colliders, you know, which offer the potential, in the future to build, like, a much smaller collider, something that may fit, for example, in the LHC tunnel. What what'd you make of that? I mean, the muon collider idea is not new. In fact, there's been, there've been various, programs at different times. There's a big program in the US, called the muon accelerator, acceleration program or accelerator program, sort of a little while back.
I think it's an interesting concept, an interesting idea. Technically, we don't know how to do it, or we would there's a lot of development work, a lot of r and d to do. So looking at a muon collider on the timescale of the mid 20 forties is probably not realistic.
And one of the things I think is really critical for an organization like CERN and critical for global particle physics is that when the LHC stops in the early 20 forties, there's not a very, very large gap without a, if you like, forefront, collider project. So, yes, it's interesting. Lots of technological challenges, but the timescales are kind of, you know, I I won't make up a number because I generally don't know.
And I think there are some other technical challenges, with the invite the the detectors and the environment because muons are particles that decay, and they're all gonna be going through the detectors decaying, and it's it's quite quite a difficult environment to do science. But it's it's interesting, and and the US in particular in the recent, their kind of decadal review process, their p five process.
I mean, that that is out there to do some r and d's, start to develop re re reignite, that idea, but it but it's gonna take a long time to turn that into a real machine. Excellent. Well, finally, just one long one last question. You know, last year, of course, as you mentioned before in in some of your previous answers, CERN celebrated its 7th its anniversary.
I don't know if you wanna kind of have a prediction of what particle physics might look like in the next 70 years, you know, if you kind of look to the future in 20 80, 20 90. That's a that's a great one. It's really interesting because I I gave, I gave a a talk, recently. It was kind of just a it was a introduction to a conference and I basically said, well, this is my personal view of what what's interesting. What, what down the road, what, what are we gonna discover? Now might, what might we
discover? Because we don't know. And I look back at the, you know, the big discoveries we've made over the last, say, 30 years. And some of these people didn't really expect neutrino oscillations as one, neutrinos having mass. That that was kind of 1998 when that was nailed down. The Higgs boson, completely new type of matter. Yeah. Incredible discovery. In fact, gravitational waves and dark energy. That's 4 big discovery. I mean, really big. I mean, these are all massive discoveries.
Of course, the hope is that, you know, once a decade, once every, you know, it's gonna it is that time scale to make the really big discoveries. I I think we will, at some point, know what dark matter is, and that could be through the collider program. It could be through the LHC. There are questions about neutrinos, so the big experiments in the year the US and Japan, they are going to answer in 10 years. So we are gonna know more about the nature of the neutrino. I'm that's almost certain.
As I said before, the Hi Lumi LHC, I think there's huge discovery potential there. Don't know what it'll be. Could be something completely unknown. There are so many you know, we have a beautiful model of the universe, but we also have so many fundamental questions that we don't know why it's quite like that. And if you can start to tick off 1 or 2 of those, these are all really massive discoveries. And then there's the Higgs boson itself.
Something completely unlike anything we've seen before is a fundamental particle. I could go for a long list of questions. Is it a fundamental particle, for example? What's what are the the kind of dynamics of the Higgs meck meck I'm sure we will we will we will understand what what the Higgs boson really is in in more detail. Of course, you know, the big the big hope is you find something you don't expect to find and that does, you know, that
happens. And, that's part of the long term, you know, the long term nature of many of the big science here. It's not just particle physics, it's cosmology. You know, these experiments, we are really pushing the boundaries, doing really exciting science. And ultimately, you know, we we we we we hope for breakthroughs and discoveries. But there are a few things I think are pretty much guaranteed in the next 10, 15 years that will really push forward our knowledge.
Well, that's great. Well, thanks, Mark. Many thanks for coming on to the podcast, and, best of luck as you prepare for this, new important role. No problem at all. Thank you. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast, which is supported by Atlas Technologies. Thanks to Mark Thompson and Michael Banks for a fascinating conversation about CERN, the LHC, and the future of particle physics. And a special thanks to our producer, Fred Iles.
We'll be back again next week. But in the meantime, do check out the latest episode of the Physics World Stories podcast, which looks back a century to the birth of modern quantum theory. In 1925, the physicist Werner Heisenberg holidayed on the German island of Helgoland seeking respite from his pollen allergy. There, he formulated matrix mechanics, which provided a mathematical framework for describing the curious observations of quantum physics.
This June, physicists will gather on Helgoland for a 6 day workshop that will celebrate Heisenberg's historic breakthrough. The podcast features 3 physicists who are involved with the workshop. They share their insights on the current state of quantum science and technology, discussing the latest developments in quantum sensing, quantum information, and quantum computing.
They also reflect on the significance of attending a conference at a location that's so deeply ingrained in the story of quantum mechanics. Talks at the event will span the science and the history of quantum theory as well as the nature of scientific revolutions. You can listen to the stories podcast on the Physics World website or at your favorite podcast provider. That episode is called Helgoland, leading physicists to gather on the tiny island where quantum mechanics was born.
Atlas Technologies is happy to support this episode and the exciting work being done at CERN. ATLAS helps solve engineering challenges everywhere. Particle colliders, space missions, semiconductor fabs, quantum cryogenics, medical, and more. Custom vacuum chambers and bonded bimetal components are built in Atlas' fully integrated facility with on-site design, development, and manufacturing capabilities. Learn more at atlasuhv.com.