High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider
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| High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider | |
|---|---|
| Name | High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider |
| Location | CERN |
| Established | 2026 (projected commissioning) |
| Type | Particle accelerator |
| Operator | CERN |
High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider is a major upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider project led by CERN to increase instantaneous luminosity and extend the discovery reach of experiments such as ATLAS (particle detector), CMS (particle detector), LHCb, and ALICE. The programme coordinates international contributions from institutions including Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, KEK, INFN, DESY, and national agencies like NASA-affiliated laboratories and ministries in member states. It aims to deliver an order-of-magnitude increase in integrated luminosity to probe phenomena tied to Higgs boson, top quark, and beyond-Standard-Model signatures such as supersymmetry, dark matter, and extra dimensions.
Overview and Objectives
The upgrade seeks to raise peak luminosity and integrated luminosity for the Large Hadron Collider programme to enable precision measurements of the Higgs boson coupling, rare decays, and searches for new physics beyond Standard Model (particle physics), supporting collaborations like ATLAS (particle detector), CMS (particle detector), LHCb, and ALICE. Objectives include enabling high-statistics studies of Higgs boson pair production relevant to the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism, refining measurements of CP violation related to CKM matrix elements, and testing models inspired by supersymmetry proposals from groups at Princeton University, Harvard University, and University of Cambridge.
Design and Technical Upgrades
Key upgrades include the installation of superconducting high-field focusing magnets developed with partners such as CERN, FNAL, KEK, and RIKEN, replacement of inner triplets based on niobium-tin technology, and a new crab cavity scheme to optimize beam overlap used by collaborations including ATLAS (particle detector) and CMS (particle detector). The infrastructure program involves cooling systems modeled on Large Hadron Collider cryogenics, new radiofrequency systems influenced by designs from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and DESY, and advanced beam collimation strategies inspired by work at Brookhaven National Laboratory and GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. Power conversion and protection systems draw on experience from ITER power leads and EUROfusion engineering partnerships.
Accelerator Complex and Beam Parameters
The upgrade modifies the LHC injector chain including LINAC4, Proton Synchrotron Booster, Proton Synchrotron, and Super Proton Synchrotron to provide higher brightness beams for collisions at 14 TeV center-of-mass energy, coordinated with scheduling by CERN accelerator teams and oversight bodies like the European Commission funding panels. Nominal design targets include a peak luminosity of 7.5×10^34 cm−2s−1, bunch spacing tied to LHC operational modes used during runs with ATLAS (particle detector), CMS (particle detector), and a goal integrated luminosity of 3000–4000 fb−1 over a decade, enabling precision top-quark studies relevant to groups at University of Oxford and California Institute of Technology. Beam dynamics studies reference results from CERN experiments and theory groups at Max Planck Institute for Physics and Institute for Advanced Study.
Detector Upgrades and Instrumentation
Upgrades for ATLAS (particle detector), CMS (particle detector), LHCb, and ALICE include new inner trackers based on silicon pixel technologies developed by collaborations involving KEK, INFN, and CERN institutes, upgraded calorimetry readout electronics inspired by designs from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and DESY, and enhanced trigger and data acquisition systems leveraging architectures pioneered at Fermilab and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Radiation-hard sensors draw on developments from CERN-RD50, NIKHEF, and University of Tokyo groups, while timing detectors with picosecond resolution are being prototyped in collaboration with ETH Zurich and EPFL. Detector upgrades aim to sustain performance under high pile-up conditions informed by simulations from Monte Carlo (method) groups at CEA Saclay and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Physics Goals and Expected Measurements
High-statistics datasets will refine couplings of the Higgs boson to fermions and bosons, constrain the Higgs self-coupling via di-Higgs searches influenced by theoretical predictions from CERN and Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, and test models of supersymmetry promoted by groups at University of Chicago and Columbia University. Precision electroweak measurements will cross-check inputs used in global fits by collaborations including Particle Data Group and theorists from IPPP (Durham), while rare decay searches for processes like Higgs → μμ and flavour anomalies connect to analyses from LHCb and phenomenology groups at Princeton University. Searches for dark matter-related signatures complement direct-detection experiments at Gran Sasso National Laboratory and indirect searches by Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope teams.
Project Timeline and Construction Status
Planned civil engineering and component installation phases are coordinated by CERN project management with international in-kind contributions from INFN, DESY, Fermilab, and national agencies including STFC and CNRS. Major milestones include completion of upgraded inner triplets, cryogenic commissioning, installation of crab cavity systems, and phased detector integration synchronized with LHC technical stops. Commissioning targets were set with consultation from accelerator committees at CERN and advisory panels including representatives from IHEP and KEK; schedules have contingency informed by prior LHC maintenance periods and collaborative reviews by European Commission stakeholders.
Challenges, Risks, and Mitigation Strategies
Technical risks include superconducting magnet performance uncertainties addressed through R&D at CERN, FNAL, and RIKEN, cryogenic load management mitigated by lessons from Large Hadron Collider runs and ITER cooling designs, and radiation damage to detectors countered by material studies from CERN-RD50 and NIKHEF. Funding and schedule risks are managed via in-kind contributions and governance mechanisms involving CERN Council, national funding agencies like DOE and NSF, and collaborative agreements with university consortia at University of Cambridge and TU Munich. Operational mitigations include upgraded collimation from Brookhaven National Laboratory studies, beam-loss monitoring systems developed with GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, and staged commissioning strategies guided by previous LHC run experience.