Fermilab pushes muon collider

Nature News : Last week, US particle physicists staked their claim in a daring new venture to develop the next generation of accelerators by proposing the world’s first muon collider .The collider could overtake two more-mature concepts, each of which plan to smash together electrons and positrons that have been accelerated through long, straight tunnels.But some physicists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois, are concerned about the expense and feasibility of the linear colliders, and question whether they would push the boundaries of physics beyond what the Large Hadron Collider is expected to achieve.They are now trying to rally enthusiasm for a collider that smashes muons, a particle that is about 200 times more massive than the electron. Related Link Next-generation atom smashers: Smaller, cheaper and super powerful Wired.com