Cari Cesarotti

Yeah, that's right. So I remember I actually grew up somewhat near Batavia where Fermilab is. So when I was in high school, you know, and I was just a fan of physics, I had this great T-shirt that was like the Tevatron, like 10 years running. Woohoo. And then like the next year they announced like, well, we're shutting it down for the LHC. And I was so I was so heartbroken.

Yeah, that's right. So I remember I actually grew up somewhat near Batavia where Fermilab is. So when I was in high school, you know, and I was just a fan of physics, I had this great T-shirt that was like the Tevatron, like 10 years running. Woohoo. And then like the next year they announced like, well, we're shutting it down for the LHC. And I was so I was so heartbroken.

Like, why would they turn it off like that? But I mean, yeah, these things are not cheap to run. And the fact that some other experiment could be doing basically its physics program more efficiently and then also more means that, yeah, it's probably not great to have too much repetition for these kinds of experiments. The Tavitron did a lot for particle physics.

Like, why would they turn it off like that? But I mean, yeah, these things are not cheap to run. And the fact that some other experiment could be doing basically its physics program more efficiently and then also more means that, yeah, it's probably not great to have too much repetition for these kinds of experiments. The Tavitron did a lot for particle physics.

But now that the LHC had turned on, it just makes sense to sort of let it carry the torch.

But now that the LHC had turned on, it just makes sense to sort of let it carry the torch.

Yeah, so this is, to me, what I think will be the future of particle physics. So an E plus, E minus machine is very safe in the sense that we basically know how to build it. And we think that we have all the technology that we already would need to be able to make it work the way that we need it to work. A muon collider is a big risk, big payoff kind of machine.

Yeah, so this is, to me, what I think will be the future of particle physics. So an E plus, E minus machine is very safe in the sense that we basically know how to build it. And we think that we have all the technology that we already would need to be able to make it work the way that we need it to work. A muon collider is a big risk, big payoff kind of machine.

And of course, as a theorist, I get to just say, ah, of course we should invest in this because my whole life is dreaming, Sean. Easy for you to say, yes. But yeah, a muon collider is a really exciting new option because, like you said, it sort of combines the aspects of being both a precision machine because they are fundamental clean objects. You're not colliding bags of stuff.

And of course, as a theorist, I get to just say, ah, of course we should invest in this because my whole life is dreaming, Sean. Easy for you to say, yes. But yeah, a muon collider is a really exciting new option because, like you said, it sort of combines the aspects of being both a precision machine because they are fundamental clean objects. You're not colliding bags of stuff.

You're combining colliding two individual particles. And because a muon is heavier, we can accelerate it to much higher energies than electrons. So an electron circular collider really can't surpass more than a couple hundred GeV. Even going up to more than 300 GeV for electron-electron is a big ask.

You're combining colliding two individual particles. And because a muon is heavier, we can accelerate it to much higher energies than electrons. So an electron circular collider really can't surpass more than a couple hundred GeV. Even going up to more than 300 GeV for electron-electron is a big ask.

And knowing if we have the magnet technology and even just the power to be able to do that is not clear at this moment. So with a muon collider is that you can break that frontier of higher energies than we've ever been able to go. You can do it in a circular machine, and you can do it in a somewhat clean environment, given the fact that muons are fundamental particles.

And knowing if we have the magnet technology and even just the power to be able to do that is not clear at this moment. So with a muon collider is that you can break that frontier of higher energies than we've ever been able to go. You can do it in a circular machine, and you can do it in a somewhat clean environment, given the fact that muons are fundamental particles.

So when you hear this kind of stuff, I don't know how you can not be excited, right? It's such a beautiful promise of everything you could want put into one collider.

So when you hear this kind of stuff, I don't know how you can not be excited, right? It's such a beautiful promise of everything you could want put into one collider.

Yeah, well, that's kind of a bummer, eh? Microseconds.

Yeah, well, that's kind of a bummer, eh? Microseconds.

Yeah, so the thing with these higher generation particles is that because they have all the same properties as the lower generation particles, if you want to be fancy, we'll call them quantum numbers, and they have higher mass, is that they have this really unpleasant tendency to want to decay, which is why atoms are made out of electrons and not muons, because muons, like you say, live for 10 to the minus 6 seconds, and then they decay away to neutrinos and electrons.

Yeah, so the thing with these higher generation particles is that because they have all the same properties as the lower generation particles, if you want to be fancy, we'll call them quantum numbers, and they have higher mass, is that they have this really unpleasant tendency to want to decay, which is why atoms are made out of electrons and not muons, because muons, like you say, live for 10 to the minus 6 seconds, and then they decay away to neutrinos and electrons.