Science TechnologyTuesday, 1 September 2026·The Hindu - International
CERN’s Future Circular Collider: 91-km mega-science project and India’s role
CERN Director-General Mark Thomson outlined the 91-km Future Circular Collider, the 27-km LHC, and India’s technological importance in August 2026.
Key highlights
Direct fact
On August 31, 2026, CERN Director-General Mark Thomson visited Mumbai and said the proposed Future Circular Collider would be a 91-km ring, with a decision expected by 2028 and possible operation during 2045-48.
Key specifics
- The current Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a 27-km tunnel built by CERN.
- The LHC was officially shut down on June 29, 2026 and is scheduled to remain offline until 2030.
- The High-Luminosity LHC is expected to deliver 10 times more brightness than the LHC.
- The Higgs boson was discovered using the LHC, making it central to particle physics research.
- The India premiere of the documentary ‘The Peace Particle’ was held at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
Exam lens
Question type: science and technology match-the-following, key facts: CERN, 91-km FCC, 27-km LHC, shutdown on June 29, 2026, HL-LHC 10 times brighter. TNPSC one-liner: Which CERN project is proposed as the successor to the LHC?