International Linear Collider Reference Design Report Volume 2: Physics at the ILC

The triumph of 20th century particle physics was the development of the Standard Model and the confirmation of many of its aspects. Experiments determined the particle constituents of ordinary matter, and identified four forces that hold matter together and transform it from one form to another. Particle interactions were found to obey precise laws of relativity and quantum theory. Remarkable features of quantum physics were observed, including the real effects of 'virtual' particles on the visible world. Building on this success, particle physicists are now able to address questions that are even more fundamental, and explore some of the deepest mysteries in science. The scope of these questions is illustrated by this summary from the report Quantum Universe: (1) Are there undiscovered principles of nature; (2) How can we solve the mystery of dark energy; (3) Are there extra dimensions of space; (4) Do all the forces become one; (5) Why are there so many particles; (6) What is dark matter? How can we make it in the laboratory; (7) What are neutrinos telling us; (8) How did the universe begin; and (9) What happened to the antimatter? A worldwide program of particle physics investigations, using multiple approaches, is already underway to explore this compelling scientific landscape. As emphasized in many scientific studies, the International Linear Collider is expected to play a central role in what is likely to be an era of revolutionary advances. Discoveries from the ILC could have breakthrough impact on many of these fundamental questions. Many of the scientific opportunities for the ILC involve the Higgs particle and related new phenomena at Terascale energies. The Standard Model boldly hypothesizes a new form of Terascale energy, called the Higgs field, that permeates the entire universe. Elementary particles acquire mass by interacting with this field. The Higgs field also breaks a fundamental electroweak force into two forces, the electromagnetic and weak forces, which are observed by experiments in very different forms. So far, there is no direct experimental evidence for a Higgs field or the Higgs particle that should accompany it. Furthermore, quantum effects of the type already observed in experiments should destabilize the Higgs boson of the Standard Model, preventing its operation at Terascale energies. The proposed antidotes for this quantum instability mostly involve dramatic phenomena at the Terascale: new forces, a new principle of nature called supersymmetry, or even extra dimensions of space. Thus for particle physicists the Higgs boson is at the center of a much broader program of discovery, taking off from a long list of questions. Is there really a Higgs boson? If not, what are the mechanisms that give mass to particles and break the electroweak force? If there is a Higgs boson, does it differ from the hypothetical Higgs of the Standard Model? Is there more than one Higgs particle? What are the new phenomena that stabilize the Higgs boson at the Terascale? What properties of Higgs boson inform us about these new phenomena? Another major opportunity for the ILC is to shed light on the dark side of the universe. Astrophysical data shows that dark matter dominates over visible matter, and that almost all of this dark matter cannot be composed of known particles. This data, combined with the concordance model of Big Bang cosmology, suggests that dark matter is comprised of new particles that interact weakly with ordinary matter and have Terascale masses. It is truely remarkable that astrophysics and cosmology, completely independently of the particle physics considerations reviewed above, point to new phenomena at the Terascale. If Terascale dark matter exists, experiments at the ILC should be able to produce such particles in the laboratory and study their properties. Another list of questions will then beckon. Do these new particles really have the correct properties to be the dark matter? Do they account for all of the dark matter, or only part of it? What do their properties tell us about the evolution of the universe? How is dark matter connected to new principles or forces of nature? A third cluster of scientific opportunities for the ILC focus on Einstein's vision of an ultimate unified theory. Particle physics data already suggests that three of the fundamental forces originated from a single 'grand' unified force in the first instant of the Big Bang. Experiments at the ILC could test this idea and look for evidence of a related unified origin of matter involving supersymmetry. A theoretical framework called string theory goes beyond grand unification to include gravity, extra spatial dimensions, and new fundamental entities called superstrings. Theoretical models to explain the properties of neutrinos, and account for the mysterious dominance of matter over antimatter, also posit unification at high energies

Construction and commissioning of the compact energy-recovery linac at KEK

Energy-recovery linacs (ERLs) are promising for advanced synchrotron light sources, high-power free electron lasers (FELs), high-brightness gamma-ray sources, and electron–ion colliders. To demonstrate the critical technology of ERL-based light sources, we have designed and constructed a test accelerator, the compact ERL (cERL). Using advanced technology that includes a photocathode direct current (DC) electron gun and two types of 1.3-GHz-frequency superconducting cavities, the cERL was designed to be capable of recirculating low emittance (1 mm mrad) and high average-current (10 mA) electron beams while recovering the beam energy. During initial commissioning, the cERL demonstrated successful recirculation of high-quality beams with normalized transverse emittance of 0.14 mm mrad and momentum spread of 1.2 10−4 (rms) at a beam energy of 20 MeV and bunch charge below 100 fC. Energy recovery in the superconducting main linac was also demonstrated for high-average-current continuous-wave beams. These results constitute an important milestone toward realizing ERL-based light sources

Achievements of KEKB

The machine commissioning of KEKB started in December 1998 and its operation was terminated at the end of June 2010 to upgrade KEKB to SuperKEKB. In this paper, we summarize the history of KEKB and show the achievements made there

The First Beam Recirculation and Beam Tuning in the Compact ERL at KEK

Superconducting(SC)-linac-based light sources, which can produce ultra-brilliant photon beams in CW operation, are attracting worldwide attention. In KEK, we have been conducting R&D; efforts towards the energy-recovery-linac(ERL)-based light source* since 2006. To demonstrate the key technologies for the ERL, we constructed the Compact ERL (cERL)** from 2009 to 2013. In the cERL, high-brightness CW electron beams are produced using a 500-kV photocathode DC gun. The beams are accelerated using SC cavities, transported through a recirculation loop, decelerated in the SC cavities, and dumped. In the February of 2014, we succeeded in accelerating and recirculating the CW beams of 4.5 micro-amperes in the cERL; the beams were successfully transported from the gun to the beam dump under energy recovery operation in the main linac. Then, precise tuning of beam optics and diagnostics of beam properties are under way. We report our experience on the beam commissioning, as well as the results of initial measurements of beam properties

ILC Reference Design Report Volume 1 - Executive Summary

The International Linear Collider (ILC) is a 200-500 GeV center-of-mass high-luminosity linear electron-positron collider, based on 1.3 GHz superconducting radio-frequency (SCRF) accelerating cavities. The ILC has a total footprint of about 31 km and is designed for a peak luminosity of 2x10^34 cm^-2s^-1. This report is the Executive Summary (Volume I) of the four volume Reference Design Report. It gives an overview of the physics at the ILC, the accelerator design and value estimate, the detector concepts, and the next steps towards project realization.The International Linear Collider (ILC) is a 200-500 GeV center-of-mass high-luminosity linear electron-positron collider, based on 1.3 GHz superconducting radio-frequency (SCRF) accelerating cavities. The ILC has a total footprint of about 31 km and is designed for a peak luminosity of 2x10^34 cm^-2s^-1. This report is the Executive Summary (Volume I) of the four volume Reference Design Report. It gives an overview of the physics at the ILC, the accelerator design and value estimate, the detector concepts, and the next steps towards project realization

ILC Reference Design Report Volume 4 - Detectors

This report, Volume IV of the International Linear Collider Reference Design Report, describes the detectors which will record and measure the charged and neutral particles produced in the ILC's high energy e+e- collisions. The physics of the ILC, and the environment of the machine-detector interface, pose new challenges for detector design. Several conceptual designs for the detector promise the needed performance, and ongoing detector R&D is addressing the outstanding technological issues. Two such detectors, operating in push-pull mode, perfectly instrument the ILC interaction region, and access the full potential of ILC physics.This report, Volume IV of the International Linear Collider Reference Design Report, describes the detectors which will record and measure the charged and neutral particles produced in the ILC's high energy e+e- collisions. The physics of the ILC, and the environment of the machine-detector interface, pose new challenges for detector design. Several conceptual designs for the detector promise the needed performance, and ongoing detector R&D is addressing the outstanding technological issues. Two such detectors, operating in push-pull mode, perfectly instrument the ILC interaction region, and access the full potential of ILC physics