Particle physicists bemoan a perfect theory

[xocet]

3. SSC...(32.364738, -96.943839)

Here is an interesting (sad) article on the demise of the SSC:

How Texas Lost the World's Largest Super Collider
The Higgs boson, a particle that has shaped the theories of modern particle physics, was discovered at a super collider in Geneva. It was a hugely significant moment for Big Science, one that received a Nobel Prize earlier this year—and it should have been discovered in Texas.
by Trevor Quirk
Mon October 21, 2013 1:15 pm

When the discovery of the last particle in the Standard Model of physics, the Higgs boson, was announced in the spring of 2012 many physicists, afflicted by an anxiety special to their profession, soon began hedging that same announcement. Most were reluctant to claim outright that what they’d observed at the CERN particle collider in Geneva was indeed the elusive Higgs, the subatomic particle that could explain how all matter acquires mass. Eventually their reticence suffused the name of the particle itself, as it was quickly described as a Higgs-like particle.

That summer, at the official announcement in Geneva, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, the stately director general of CERN, declared “I think we have it.” It was an enormous scientific discovery—arguably one of the biggest of the 21st century, a claim bolstered by its recent Nobel Prize award—but the celebration, on the whole, was restrained. Mild applause ensued, a man removed his glasses and dabbed a handkerchief at his tears. The conference room then reassumed its churchlike sobriety.

Physicists are a shrewd species. History has shown them the political consequences of premature announcements. A year before, a team of physicists at CERN announced the observation of neutrinos rushing faster than the speed of light. If the phenomenon was real, almost all we knew about physics would crumble. Most physicists were incredulous, and rightfully so, as the “superluminal” neutrinos turned out to be an artifact of miswired fiber optics and a bad atomic clock. It was embarrassing; people resigned. Many physicists condemned the announcement as sensational, a swat at the hard reality of modern experimental physics, which is forevermore Big Science: a political animal of bureaucracy, real estate, diplomacy, rhetoric, and tax-based funding. People have to trust physicists more than ever before, a tall order considering the arcane nature of theoretical science. And yet the tools required to prove or disprove certain hypotheses often require significant amounts of money.

The international operation of CERN marked a monumental success in this respect. To prove the existence of the Higgs boson, which has been contentiously described as the “God particle,” required $9 billion, ten years of study, thousands of careers, and a seventeen-mile collider ring which bores out of the earth on the Franco-Swiss border. At fourteen Teraelectron-volts (TeV)*, it is the most energetic super collider ever built, and also one of the largest, most complex scientific experiments in history. Many have called it a modern-day cathedral.

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http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/how-texas-lost-worlds-largest-super-collider?fullpage=1

I went by the SSC grounds a few years ago to take photos. There was an inquisitive herd of cows (the current photo from Google maps even has such a herd almost right where the earlier herd was) just across the road from one of the parking lots. The police came by to ask what I was doing - apparently, there had been several copper thefts from the site. Now, Magnablend, a chemical company, owns the site - .

Congressman Joe Barton Returns to SSC to Tour Revitalized Facility
Aug 7, 2013

Twenty years after the closing of the former Superconducting Super Collider, U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX06) returned today to tour the revitalized Ellis County facility following a year of renovations by Waxahachie chemical manufacturer Magnablend. Early in his congressional tenure Barton was instrumental in bringing the SSC facility to Ellis County.

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During the tour, Rep. Barton observed the company’s production of guar slurry, used in hydraulic fracturing. With manufacturing facilities in key locations for all major domestic shale plays, superior customer service and best-in-class research and development capabilities, Magnablend remains uniquely positioned to support U.S. energy development and independence.

“The development of shale gas has been key to the economy of North Texas and is fueling the growing energy market in the U.S.,” said Barton. “I was truly amazed by the extra lengths Magnablend has gone to in developing state of the art facilities. The company’s dedication to producing quality products while committing to employee safety and environmental protection is impressive.”

“Our SSC facility is capable of producing a diverse range of oil field products for the energy service industry,” said Pendery.

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http://www.magnablend.com/sscjbtour2013.html

Of course, one wonders why Magnablend wanted the facility:

Magnablend Chemical Plant Fire In Waxahachie, Texas
JAMIE STENGLE 10/ 3/11 09:13 PM ET


WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A fire sparked as workers mixed chemicals at a plant south of Dallas shot massive plumes of black smoke and bright orange flames into the sky Monday, forcing schoolchildren and residents to evacuate or take cover indoors to avoid possible exposure to dangerous gases.

Flames engulfed a large complex at a Magnablend Inc. facility in Waxahachie. The fast-moving blaze overwhelmed a sprinkler system and consumed a fire truck, but no injuries were reported from the fire or resulting smoke.

Waxahachie Fire Chief David Hudgins said it wasn't immediately clear what chemicals were involved in sparking the fire.

About 1,000 residents who had been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes early Monday evening, said Waxahachie Fire Department spokeswoman Amy Hollywood. Waxahachie, 30 miles south of Dallas, has about 25,000 residents.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/magnablend-chemical-plant-burns-waxahachie-texas_n_992537.html

Regulation seems to work oh so well in Texas....