So far, the Canadian approach seems to be working better. Last month the project, known as KAON after the K mesons and other subatomic particles it will produce, was endorsed by a nuclear science panel, which advises the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation. The vote of confidence appears to doom the chances of a U.S. facility proposed by officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory. And in a bit of serendipity, the new science adviser to President Bush, Canadian-born physicist D. Allan Bromley, turns out to have strong ties to many of the Canadian scientists involved with the new accelerator.
The Canadians have worked hard for their success. Last month a team of officials returned from around-the-world tour of six capitals to solidify support for the KAON facility. The team's international collaboration strategy is modeled after West Germany's success in attracting international funding for its $750 ...