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October 14, 2009
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Development of a heavy-ion linear accelerator, or linac for short, would be a huge boost to the overall development of the basic sciences in Korea. This is the belief of Robert Tribble of Texas A&M University, who is arguing for the inclusion of a linac in the Korea International Business Belt project, which was started by Min Dong-pil, the chief director of the Korea Research Council of Fundamental Science and Technology, to strengthen the basic sciences in Korea. “Once a heavy-ion linear accelerator and other top-quality research facilities are in place, Korea can attract some of the top talent from abroad,” Tribble says in a recent interview at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul. The 62-year-old distinguished professor of physics is a respected researcher in weak interactions, nuclear reactions at low and high energy and nuclear astrophysics. Tribble has also been a member of the American Nuclear Science Advisory Committee since 1989 and has held the chairman position. He is in Korea to attend an international symposium commemorating the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Korea Research Council of Fundamental Science and Technology, affiliated with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. A heavy-ion linac is a type of a particle accelerator used to research the inner structure of elementary particles. According to Tribble, what makes the Korean project significant is that it is the only heavy-ion linear accelerator of its kind being developed in the world. The United States is in the initial stages of developing such a linac, but Tribble thinks Korea’s new linac technology, which is under development, along with Japanese linac technology, can provide a base for a strong foundation in the East. “Since Korea is incorporating new technology, one cannot say it is behind the American project. Heavy-ion linacs can be used for various purposes in the industrial circles,” Tribble says. Some say a heavy-ion linac would have no practical use and is merely a huge piece of research equipment to benefit physicists. But Tribble replies that the development of heavy-ion linac rather benefits basic science. It is different from other directed research, which often produces clear results after four to five years. Though such research projects may bring about short-term results, it is very rare to see huge breakthroughs from them. “It will not bring about immediate revolutionary changes, but without the use of linac technology, which was developed 40 to 50 years ago, it would not have been possible for the development of semiconductor chips as well as ion implantation and lithography technology, which are at the core of computer technology,” explains Tribble. “The World Wide Web consortium was developed by European linac researchers. Technology developed by linac researchers often brings about revolutionary changes decades down the road.” The medical field has also benefited from linac technology. As Tribble explains, such cases are referred to as spinoffs. A spinoff is a piece of research that starts out as a curiosity but eventually leads to technologies that become essential parts of daily life. Not all research leads to spinoffs, but even if a small minority can, it leads to big changes. Tribble cites personal computer technology as one example. Such computers weren’t immediately required by consumers, but rather stemmed from scientists embarking upon their own research. Perhaps this explains why Americans place such great importance on scientific research. In 2005, the American government deemed itself in danger of lagging behind in international competitiveness. According to Tribble, the American government turned to scientists for help. The government trusts and respects the opinion of scientists and takes their opinions into consideration when drawing up new policies. Scientific technology and science education is seen as the heart of national competitive power. But since nations can also get a competitive edge through politics and culture, one may wonder why national leaders would place such heavy emphasis on science. Tribble explains that the development of the global economy over the past 30 years has been based on newly developed technologies. Likewise, the Korean economy would not have been able to progress so rapidly without these innovations. Tribble thinks it would be ideal to invite Korean scientists working abroad to start up new research projects. The development of new technologies isn’t the only essential factor, and Korea also needs the workforce to exploit such technologies to their fullest potential. But Tribble says, “While Korea has a large talent pool, I think it can do better when it comes to creating new technologies.” In a report published by the National Science Foundation in the U.S., Korea received a grade of eight out of 100 in the basic sciences. In contrast, the U.S. received a score of 95 and Japan is at 80. This is an indication that Korea lags behind. According to Tribble, in order to make up for such shortcomings, it is important to invest more into basic sciences - especially considering the U.S. has taken a similar path. It would not be a stretch to say that nearly all of the National Science Foundation’s research fees are spent on basic sciences. The same can be said about the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy. In contrast, not a lot support is given to applied research. The American government spends over $6 billion annually to support such projects. If we were to take Korea’s economy as about one-tenth the size of America’s, that means Korea should spend over $600 million on furthering basic science. This investment is part of why the U.S. is able to maintain such high standards in the area of the basic sciences. According to Tribble, Korea has potential, since there is a great deal of Korean talent abroad. As an expert in nuclear physics, Tribble also sees the importance of nuclear power generation and green development. Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea, India, China and Middle Eastern countries have all made significant strides in that sector. In order to produce energy using green development technologies, people need to share information and innovations. It is necessary to cut down on electricity production from coal and petroleum and find other sources of energy. “Nuclear power generation hardly creates any greenhouse gases. As of now, 40 percent of Korea’s total electrical power output comes from nuclear power generation. France and Japan rely on nuclear power generation for 85 percent of their total electrical power output. Raising that level to 70 or 80 percent could be a good method. The rest can come from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power,” Tribble suggests. By Park Bang-ju [jason@joongang.co.kr] |
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