“Vision for the Future of High-Energy Physics” - Major Recommendations

This and future issues of FYI will cover the recently released report, “High Energy Physics Advisory Panel’s Subpanel on Vision for the Future of High-Energy Physics.” The following are the recommendations from the report’s Executive Summary (please note clarification in Recommendation 5):

RECOMMENDATION 1: “As befitting a great nation with a rich and successful history of leadership in science and technology, the United States should continue to be among the leaders in the worldwide pursuit of the answers to fundamental questions of particle physics.”

RECOMMENDATION 2: “The subpanel recommends that the federal government commit itself to a budget for the Department of Energy’s High Energy Physics program that provides constant-level-of-effort funding plus a $50M/year bump for three years, starting in FY1996, to implement the following program: Productive use of existing domestic facilities and their ongoing upgrades, including support for the university-based researchers, and flexibility to pursue new ideas. Significant participation in the LHC [Large Hadron Collider] accelerator and detectors, both to provide research opportunities at the energy frontier and to ensure that U.S. physicists remain integrated in the international high-energy physics community. Enhanced effort in accelerator research and development, in preparation for a strong role in creating the accelerators of the next century.”

RECOMMENDATION 3: “Given the above three-year supplement and a commitment to support at no less than constant-level-of-effort funding thereafter, the subpanel recommends that the U.S. government declare its intention to join other nations constructing the LHC at CERN and initiate negotiations toward that goal. Participation in the LHC should be endorsed with a timely decision of support. This will enable the high-energy physics community in the United States to take full advantage of this opportunity and to maintain momentum in the collaborations that have been forming in the hope of applying to the LHC the expertise and technology developed for the SSC and its detectors, and of sharing in its discoveries.”

RECOMMENDATION 4: “The government should give serious consideration both to restoring earlier practices of full authorization at the start of major scientific construction projects and to introducing budget cycles of two or more years.”

RECOMMENDATION 5: “If there is no three-year, $50M/year bump in the budget, the subpanel recommends that the Department of Energy appoint a special subpanel of the High Energy Physics Advisory panel to review the current U.S. high-energy physics program (preferably jointly with the National Science Foundation) and recommend appropriate changes and sacrifices.” NOTE: the e-mail version of FYI #72 over-stated these sacrifices when it said that a high energy physics laboratory should be closed.

“However, the Subpanel still believes that joining the LHC collaboration is of sufficient importance that the U.S. should commit to doing so under a constant FY1995 level-of-effort budget, and should enter negotiations toward that goal.”

RECOMMENDATION 6: “Proposals for a scientific mission for the former SSC site should undergo stringent peer review. The review should call upon international experts in relevant areas of science to judge the proposals on their scientific and technical merit, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness compared with other possible avenues for doing the same work.

“Concerns about the vitality of a superconducting magnet laboratory for high-energy physics that is geographically separated from an accelerator laboratory will have to be weighed in evaluating proposals for such a laboratory on the former SSC site. The subpanel believes that these concerns weigh against such use.

“Disposition of moveable equipment will depend upon agreements between the Department of Energy and the State of Texas, which may involve the resolution of financial claims of the State. The subpanel does not presume to comment on issues outside our scientific and technical expertise in high-energy physics. However, if some of the equipment will not ultimately be used on site, it could be used elsewhere to the benefit of the U.S. high-energy physics program. The subpanel urges all parties to decisions regarding the disposition of SSC assets to recognize that a timely resolution will make it more likely that they will be put to good use.”