The mountainous Kitakami area in the Tohoku region is being proposed as a candidate site for building the International Linear Collider (ILC), a next-generation linear particle accelerator.
The ILC is a research facility for investigating the origin of the universe and physical substances. Given that Japan has achieved many accomplishments in the field of particle physics, positive consideration should be given to the idea of inviting the ILC to be built in the Kitakami highland.
The ILC -- an accelerator that is being planned by Japanese, U.S. and European researchers -- is a facility for reproducing high-energy conditions akin to those immediately resulting from the creation of the universe. The plan would construct a tunnel with a total length of 20 kilometers, along which electrons would be collided with positrons -- pieces of matter with a positive electrical charge -- at a speed close to that of light. Ensuing reactions would be precisely measured.
Discoveries that transcend existing physical theories, even to the extent of winning a Nobel prize, could be made possible.
The Kitakami area, which extends over Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, has been viewed as a suitable site for ILC construction, because its ground and underlying strata are stable.
The plan can be expected to produce such effects as the creation of a research town along with ILC construction and an increase in orders received by related manufacturing industries. Local governments to be affected and the Liberal Democratic Party have become enthusiastic about attracting the facility, which they say will contribute to the ongoing post-earthquake rehabilitation efforts. Rising hopes among them are only natural.
In a draft reply to a project assessment requested by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), an organization of scholars and scientists, has recognized the significance of conducting experiments at the ILC.
Continue from CERN
The problem is a massive amount of costs to be incurred.
According to a science ministry estimate, the plan would require about 800 billion yen in construction costs over a 10-year period. The facility is planned to be run for about 20 years until the completion of experiments, requiring about 40 billion yen in annual operating costs.
If the ILC is built on the Kitakami highland, Japan will reportedly need to cover about half of the costs as the host nation.
In its draft reply, the SCJ said there is not yet a prospect for sharing the costs internationally. The council also called for paying attention to possible environmental destruction due to large-scale construction work. While some have also expressed concerns that the plan could end up adversely affecting research budgets in other fields of science, the government has delayed making a decision on the proposal.
To make progress in the efforts to invite the ILC, it is necessary to explain the significance of ILC construction and the project's cost-effectiveness, thereby widening public understanding of the plans.
The ILC is a complementary facility for the world's largest accelerator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN.
In 2012, CERN confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, which gives mass to all things. One of its next tasks is to conduct a detailed analysis of the Higgs boson through the use of the ILC.
CERN has started to lay down plans for its next research project. Whether CERN can incorporate the ILC into its next plan depends on Japan's moves. If Japan -- a nation that devotes effort to the study of elementary particles -- decides not to invite the facility, it will cause CERN to lose momentum for its next project at once.
It is about time to clarify Japan's intention to invite the ILC, on the precondition that various problems will be resolved without fail.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 28, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
