A Little Madness Is Good
"The Material Science is working on a solution, they're researching new materials day and night, and maybe one day they'll develop a special material that will allow us to build a collider of that energy level within the normal range," Yu Nanfeng said.
"That's different. One is something we can actually see, and the other is an uncertain future. How can we place our hopes for advancing to Level 4 Civilization on such an unknown wait? I know that building a collider is difficult and time-consuming, but even if it takes thousands of years, at least there's something to look forward to, right?" Liu Miyan expressed his different opinion. "Even if our generation can't complete it, at least we can leave hope for the next generation."
I know what you mean.
"No, you don't know."
The two argued back and forth, neither able to convince the other.
Yue Yuan, who had been listening silently, spoke up at this moment, "Alright, let me think about this first. The Great Fleet is still at sea, and it will be about eight years before we reach the next Star System. Even if we make a decision now, there's not much we can do right now. You should go back and discuss it with your teams."
If it were any other matter, Liu Miyan would probably have nodded and gone back, but he had been holding back for two hundred years before finally deciding to push this matter forward, and he was not going to give up easily.
He shook his head. "Chief, the sooner this is decided, the better. I know that no one is ready yet, which is why we need to get it done. Every second we delay is a second wasted."
If we decide now, then for the next eight years we won't need to waste time arguing about whether or not to do it. Instead, we can use that time to design and research the New Particle Collider.
At this point, Liu Miyan shifted his gaze from Yue Yuan to Yu Nanfeng, and then said with a sincere expression, "I know this is an almost impossible task for us humans, but there's always a sliver of a possibility, right? If there is, why don't we give it a try? Just like Academician Yu Nanfeng just said, what if it succeeds?"
"Hey, you have no idea how difficult this is."
Yu Nanfeng couldn't help but speak, but was interrupted by Liu Miyan: "I know."
"Okay, okay, you know that." Yu Nanfeng was somewhat speechless.
After a pause, Yu Nanfeng took a deep breath to calm the urge to curse, raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Miyan: "Old Liu, let me tell you the truth. If we really have the determination to hollow out six Star System, there is still hope. Of course, I have estimated that it is impossible for us humans, with our limited number of scientists and engineers, to complete such a huge project."
Strong Artificial Intelligence is not omnipotent; the creation of new things still requires human design. But look at my situation—my team can at most complete one small branch of the technology involved in such a massive project. To truly turn ideas into blueprints, tens of thousands of scientific and engineering teams are needed.
After speaking his mind, Yu Nanfeng asked earnestly, "So, Old Liu, can you tell me now, besides this kind of super-long Particle Collider, are there any other possibilities? For example, if we make a major breakthrough in the field of magnetic field control, can't we build a smaller Ring Accelerator or something?"
"You're an engineering researcher, why are you asking me this?"
Liu Miyan was somewhat speechless. Was Yu Nanfeng's mind bound by outdated ideas? Had he truly reached the twilight of his intellectual life? If so, then he should retire.
He mentally grumbled, but said aloud, "Theoretically, if we could control a stronger magnetic field, we could indeed effectively shorten the length of the collider. As for whether Ring Accelerator or Linear Type is better, I believe you know better than I do."
A collider consisting of Ring Accelerator occupies a small Linear Type space, but it is more difficult to build because it is necessary to calculate the relationship between the magnetic field strength and the velocity of the accelerated particles at each stage based on the curvature. The variable of magnetic field strength needs to be set according to the curvature of the acceleration channel.
This approach is less efficient than Linear Type, where every segment is equipped with the strongest magnetic field and energy system achievable by humankind –Miracles Through Brute Force. This would allow for a more effective reduction in the collider's length, thus lowering the construction difficulty.
The stronger the accelerating magnetic field, the greater the acceleration force, the shorter the time it takes to accelerate particles to the desired speed, and the shorter the required collider length. This is a very simple principle.
Yu Nanfeng really seemed to have lost his mind just now; I wonder if it was because of the New Collider.
"Chief of Staff, what do you think about this?"
At this moment, Liu Miyan turned to Yue Yuan again, seemingly unwilling to give up until he got an answer, as if he expected Yue Yuan to use his absolute power to make a decision with a single word.
Seeing Liu Miyan's appearance, Yue Yuan was speechless. Most scientists would rather never use their autocratic power in their entire lives, thereby weakening the leader's power. But Liu Miyan, in order to promote the New Collider, was actually encouraging it.
"It's no use me saying anything about this. In the end, you'll have to convince those who still want to keep searching for the remains of Alien Civilization," Yue Yuan said, shrugging.
In truth, it was still useful, but aside from foreign wars, Yue Yuan did not want to use his autocratic power casually.
"I understand, as long as the Chief of Staff agrees. I will persuade them at next year's Summary Conference." Liu Miyan smiled, looking satisfied.
When did I say I agreed? Yue Yuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Miyan. I clearly didn't say that.
Next year's Summary Conference is Summary Conference held every fifty years by the high-level leaders of Human Civilization in the search for so-called Alien Civilization. Generally, it mainly focuses on the research reports of each Star System that has been explored.
The time span is very large, mainly because the stars in this starry sky are so sparse, with the distance between them generally around twenty light-years.
Too many debriefing meetings are not very useful.
Liu Miyan left satisfied, as did Yu Nanfeng, though the latter had a worried expression, but his eyes shone with excitement.
He probably felt that there was a high chance that Human Civilization would actually do this, and the thought of undertaking such a monumental project filled him with both distress and excitement.
After the two left, Yue Yuan also stood up, but he did not leave. He simply asked the Strong Artificial Intelligence 'Tianhe Light' of the Lyra to retract the seat he had just been sitting in into the floor, and then looked out the porthole at the stars that were slowly moving backward from the front of the porthole.
"This is insane. It's good that you're a little crazy. I'm not afraid of your madness, I'm just afraid of your timidity," Yue Yuan muttered to himself.
Clearly, he wasn't as indifferent as he had been when facing the two scientists.