Analysis: Membership of the CERN research centre opens all sorts of doors, but it doesn't mean we're gearing up for nuclear energy
It was announced today that Ireland's application to join the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) has been accepted in principle, meaning the country can become an associate member in just under a year’s time. CERN is one of the pre-eminent global centres of research on particle physics and related topics.
The Standard Model of particle physics helps us understand the particles that make up all matter and how they interact. The properties of these particles and the manner in which they interact underpin the behaviour of all matter, including the atoms and molecules which form our own bodies. The study of these particles saw huge leaps in the twentieth century, when we advanced from knowing almost nothing of the make-up of the atom, to discovering electrons, protons, neutrons, anti-particles and a whole slew of smaller particles, down to the level of quarks.
The most recent high-profile discovery was of the so-called Higgs particle in 2012. This was a long sought after particle whose discovery was a huge triumph for the standard model and led to Nobel prizes for Peter Higgs and other scientists.
From RTÉ News, Brian O'Donovan explains what CERN membership would mean for Ireland
What is CERN?
CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, (from the French 'Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire' or European Council for Nuclear Research, as its predecessor was called). It was established as an international collaborative organisation in 1954 and has been one of the leading centres for research into nuclear and particle physics since its inception.
A great deal of its scientific research is based on the use of colliders; essentially equipment which smashes particles such as protons, electrons etc. into other particles at very high energies. Scientists then study what comes out from these collision sites to understand the constituents of the colliding particles. To achieve these very high energy collisions, incredibly large-scale equipment is needed to speed up the particle by accelerating them over very long paths. For example, the large hadron collider (LHC) used to discover the Higgs boson is a 27-kilometre ring of ultra-strong magnets held at temperatures of ‑271.3°C.
But research on nuclear and particle physics is not the only activity at CERN. A whole range of other work is enabled by the colliders. For example radioactive isotopes can be produced by the products of these colliders, which can be used for medical physics applications such as cancer treatment. Additionally, the study of the collision products from the collider requires high sensitivity detectors and high-performance computing, both of which can be used in many other application areas such as machine learning, AI and sensors. Finally, the construction of these huge colliding rings requires state of the art civil engineering and building techniques and CERN is a leader in the development of these areas of engineering.
From BBC News, Inside CERN's 'antimatter factory' creating antihydrogen
Why is Ireland joining?
Ireland is joining CERN to become one of more than 30 nations who are either full or associate members of CERN, who have access to the CERN research facilities and community of scientists and engineers. This will allow scientists and engineers from Ireland to engage fully with the state-of-the-art research which is being conducted in CERN, and allow Irish students to interact with facilities and collaborate with CERN researchers. The research areas extend far beyond particle physics, and include areas such as medical physics and diagnostics, computing, sensor development and advanced civil engineering and construction methods.
What benefits does it have?
The benefits of joining CERN extend far beyond the research areas indicated above, and they form another important consideration in Ireland’s decision to join CERN. Membership of CERN offers many other benefits to a broad range of sectors. Firstly, as a member state, Irish businesses can become involved in the various equipment design, construction and testing activities, which are multi-billion-dollar activities. This will provide many Irish businesses in the technical and engineering sectors with new business opportunities at the very forefront of their technology areas.
Additionally, CERN offers a range of educational opportunities ranging from school level activities and visits for teachers and pupils, right up to internship opportunities for Irish third level students. The additional benefits are an important element of the country’s decision to move ahead with CERN membership.
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From RTÉ Brainstorm, Ella McSweeney is joined by Paul Deane and Piyush Verma from UCC to look at the issue of nuclear energy
Does this mean we're going to be moving towards nuclear energy?
No, it does not. Firstly, although the title of the organisation includes the word "nuclear", in fact this is a bit of a misnomer in the context of the current research activities.
A great deal of CERN’s current research is focussed on sub-nuclear (i.e. particle) physics, and not nuclear physics. The research involving nuclei is focussed on the creation of particular radioactive isotopes which can find applications in medical imaging and diagnostics, or even in areas such as semiconductor manufacturing. Furthermore, a number of CERN member states have no nuclear industry at all (e.g. Germany and Italy have permanently closed their nuclear power facilities). Membership of CERN neither implies nor signals any intent to move towards nuclear power generation.
So, what next?
This is a very exciting time for Ireland, both for the research community, but also for Irish businesses in the technical and engineering sectors, as well as the education sector. CERN membership will offer new opportunities in all these areas for Irish people to develop new interactions and collaborations with one of the premier scientific research facilities in the world, and for them to work on a wide range of projects, from particle physics research to education and high technology manufacturing and engineering.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
