Project description
New research infrastructure to unlock mysteries of the universe
The Standard Model of Particle Physics is the best theory existing today that describes the universe's fundamental building blocks. However, it does have its limitations, which hinder a deeper understanding of matter, energy and the laws of nature. An example is the mysteries surrounding the Higgs boson. The EU-funded FCCIS project will deliver a conceptual design and an application plan for a new research infrastructure consisting of a 100 km circular tunnel and a dozen surface sites. Initially, the project will present an electron–positron collider, aiming to advance to an energy frontier hadron collider that will serve the world community by the end of the 21st century. The project will confirm the basic enablers at particle accelerators, aiming to consolidate the EU’s leadership in excellent science for the coming decades.
Objective
What is the Origin of Everything? The Standard Model of Particle Physics explains everything except for the parts that it does not cover. This limitation calls for a science mission to gain a deeper understanding of matter, energy and the fundamental laws of nature. The first step is to elucidate the mysteries that revolve around the Higgs boson. Is it point like? Does it interact with itself? The best way to answer these such questions is to create a clean experimental environment with a highest luminosity particle collider. The Future Circular Collider Innovation Study (FCCIS) will deliver a conceptual design and an implementation plan for a new research infrastructure, consisting of a 100 km long, circular tunnel and a dozen surface sites. It will initially host an electron-positron particle collider. With an energy frontier hadron collider as a second step, it can serve a world-wide community through the end of the 21st century.
This project will validate the key performance enablers at particle accelerators. Extreme luminosities, a factory producing a million Higgs bosons, luminosities up to 100 times the present world record with parts-per-million energy precision will strengthen Europe’s leadership in excellent science for many decades. This project will attract academic and industrial leaders to develop a feasible and affordable project that incorporates ecodesign and resource efficiency from an early stage onwards. The project includes work with the host states France and Switzerland to ensure that the infrastructure blends in with the territorial boundary conditions. A socio-economic impact analysis will reveal the added value that this infrastructure will generate during its first phase and serve as the basis for developing a funding and implementation plan. This project emphasizes the user capacity building process with theoretical and experimental physicists at an international scale to ensure an exploitation of the facility from the start.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
1211 GENEVE 23
Switzerland