Dear P5 Panel:
This is an explicit plea that you strongly support the long range development of a high intensity
proton accelerator complex at Fermilab.
A little back ground: During the last 60 years the US has either invented or nurtured the
development of nearly every branch of accelerator technology that is in use today. The
cyclotron, the 300 MeV betatrons and synchrotrons, electron and proton linacs, strong focusing
machines, e+e- colliders, and finally the SC magnets that have made the Tevatron and LHC so
successful. A simple glance at the magnet cross section of HERA, RHIC or the LHC reveals their
genetic relation to the Tevatron. The work of developing these machines has been
accomplished by a strong collaboration between experimental particle physicists and
accelerator physicists in both the universities and the national laboratories. The results have
led to the development of the Standard Model in its present form…a tremendous
accomplishment! And in addition we have made a huge contribution to the industrial uses of
accelerators and SC magnets.
Now comes the problem: Fermilab has turned out 2000 PhD’s utilizing the accelerators based
here. But the last major accelerator improvement was the Main Injector and for the ensuing
14-15 years the investment has focused on incremental improvements. Project X which should
have been well underway now and which would have coherently developed a high intensity
facility on the site has been deemed too expensive for approval in the turbulent political
climate. Accelerators are expensive which places them in competition with some beautiful and
important experiments which also in total are beyond the available budget. Thus the problem
is one of balancing the investment in our future vs the short term of producing results with that
infrastructure which is in place. I know well the anguish caused by closing down an operating
machine to upgrade its energy but I also have seen the gains produced by new and cutting edge
facilities.
Fermilab has proposed a path to link its accelerator upgrade with the LBNE experiment. This is
a fine plan, but it must not be a standalone plan. A long range accelerator plan linking a high
intensity proton source to a neutrino factory and ultimately a muon collider (if appropriate) has
been presented at the BNL meeting. This plan needs strong support now so that it will be a
reality when it is needed. A real high intensity laboratory takes time, creativity and a strong in
house group of accelerator physicists to develop.
The physics in the neutrino sector and in the rare decay modes has been embraced by the
community and is largely orthogonal to that anticipated to come from the LHC. Precision
measurements will be required to gain insight from experiments proposed in the high intensity
sector…not just “discovery numbers”. There is a requirement for a world class facility that the
US has an opportunity to fulfill, would allow us to play a leading role in an international sense
and would provide home resources for our own physicists.
At present, FNAL is in a unique position to carry out such a plan. It has people at the highest
level that are well versed in the complexities of accelerator construction. And in addition it has
a staff of very creative accelerator scientists that will be needed to create such a complex high
intensity facility. Finally, there is a large staff of people who are expert in the present complex
and that can help make the short term goals for LBNE a reality. This expertize can be easily
squandered without a clear goal for the lab’s future and if lost cannot be easily regenerated.
Note also that if the US is to play a strong role in the selection and design of “farther in the
future” international machines, such as a 100 TeV collider, a strong staff of accelerator
physicists will be a “must have”.
Finally accelerator technology spin off has a direct impact on HEP experiments as well as
society. The magnets in CMS and ATLAS were possible because the technology was developed
for accelerators. The magnets for the upgrade of LHC and the muon collider use HTS, a
technology that is still in its infancy but is being pushed by accelerator needs. Fermilab as a
staging point for future experiments will be a far stronger resource if constructing a high
intensity facility is part of its future.
In short, I think that we are at a point where the path can split. In the future there could be a
world class high intensity facility in the US serving needs recognized internationally and
providing a unique facility for physicists of the future. (If FNAL graduated 2000 PhD’s how many
will the LHC? And what facilities will be available for them?) Or the national labs could become
assembly sites for exporting experiments to facilities located in other parts of the world. And
even worse, FNAL could become a high class sub division with the Wilson Hall becoming a
shopping mall. P5 can play a key part in this choice.
Alvin Tollestrup, retired
Jan. 17 2014.