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What are the current implications of the experiments at CERN and for ATLAS? My current interpretation is that these are massive engineering marvels that are bas
by bmitc 4y ago
What are the current implications of the experiments at CERN and for ATLAS? My current interpretation is that these are massive engineering marvels that are basically just data generators for some physicists to run statistics on. That is a pessimistic view, but I am just not aware of what's all going on there.
Compare this to LIGO, where one could make a similar argument, but LIGO is producing very explicit data that is driving tons of research and discoveries and is providing tandem support for electromagnetic observations.
- fvold 4y agoIt's ostensibly "pure science", where we "just" gain more information on how the most fundamental building blocks of reality work. It's hard to predict what new technology can come of this. For example, who could have predicted the transistor? I think the information gained is valuable in itself, but way smarter people than me will be looking way harder at it, and suddenly a real-world marketable application pops out. If we could predict it happening, that would be the pop. Also, don't underestimate the massive amounts of learning being done in engineering just by designing experiments and building/maintaining accelerators. That, alone, might be worth it.
- bmitc 4y agoThose are fairly general sentiments that apply to a lot of things, though. However, funding is not infinite, and CERN has received a lot of funding over the years.