Activities Related to a Linear Collider Project

人们普遍认为，大型强子对撞机将在TeV尺度上发现新的物理现象，从而揭示电弱对称性破缺的起源，并可能指出粒子物理学标准模型之外的新现象。人们还预计，为了理解这种新物理学的物理起源，将需要一个TeV规模的轻子对撞机。国际线性对撞机（ILC）是下一个轻子对撞机最成熟的候选者。目前的ILC研发由全球设计努力（GDE）指导，在国际直线对撞机指导委员会（ILCSC）下工作，将在2012年提交技术设计报告。美洲线性对撞机指导小组（LCSGA）的成立是为了向美国和加拿大的资助机构提供指导，并在ILCSC内阐明美洲对线性对撞机的立场。未来两年LCSGA活动的一个重要方面是在GDE和ILCSC结束期间为线性对撞机工作建立目标和组织，届时LHC结果将明确，并有机会启动线性对撞机项目。2011年初，该提案的PI成为LCSGA的主席。该奖项为PI的部分工资和旅费提供资金，以支付与LCSGA活动相关的预期旅行。智力上的价值将在于找到一种机制，通过这种机制，全球社会可以在一个框架内走到一起，使参与线性对撞机的每个国家都能有效地作出贡献，并从它所支持的研究中获益。这一提议的更广泛的影响将源于对自然力的更基本的理解，这种理解可以由线性对撞机提供，而不是从现有的实验设施中获得。为此开发的技术可能适用于科学和工程的其他领域。找到实现线性对撞机的组织机制将是至关重要的。

It is generally believed that the LHC will discover new physics at the TeV scale that can shed light on the origin of electroweak symmetry breaking, and that could indicate new phenomena beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. It is also expected that in order to understand the physical origin of this new physics, a TeV scale lepton collider will be needed. The International Linear Collider (ILC) is the most well developed candidate for the next lepton collider. The current ILC R&D directed by the Global Design Effort (GDE), working under the International Linear Collider Steering Committee (ILCSC), will present a technical design report in 2012. The Linear Collider Steering Group of the Americas (LCSGA) was established to provide guidance to funding agencies in the U.S. and Canada, and to articulate the Americas' stance on linear colliders within the ILCSC. An important aspect of the LCSGA activities in the coming two years is establishing the goals and organization for linear collider work in the period between the end of GDE and ILCSC and the time when LHC results will be clear and can offer the opportunity to launch a linear collider project. In early 2011, the PI of this proposal became the chair of LCSGA. This award provides funds for a portion of the PI's salary and travel funds to cover the expected travel associated with LCSGA activities. The intellectual merit will reside in finding a mechanism by which the global community can come together within a framework that allows each nation participating in a linear collider to contribute effectively and derive the benefits of the research it enables. The broader impacts from this proposal will stem from the more fundamental understanding of the forces of nature that can be provided by the linear collider beyond that which can be obtained from existing experimental facilities. Technologies developed for it may be applicable to other fields in science and engineering. Finding the organizational mechanisms by which a linear collider could be realized will be critical.