December 2018

Welcome to December’s issue of Accelerating News!

It has been another year of scientific developments and new collaborations to advance accelerator technologies. The development of more efficient and reliable accelerators poses highly technical and complex problems that require well-focused and global R&D efforts. Moreover, the future colliders require innovations that will keep us in the path of discovery.

We expect 2019 to be an important year for the future, following the launch of the update of the European Strategy in Particle Physics last September. All the collaborations designing different scenarios for post-LHC accelerators have submitted their reports. These will inform the decision process for the long-term future of the field. The goal is to promote European coordination in accelerator R&D and a global vision for a new infrastructure in particle physics. In this issue, we interviewed ECFA’s Chair, Professor Jorgen D’Hondt, on the next steps of this update process and the priorities for Europe to remain a focal point in high-energy physics.

The HL-LHC upgrade is now in full swing with first hardware components having already been produced and tested in laboratories around the world. The civil engineering work is ongoing. A report from the recent HL-LHC annual meeting testifies to the great progress made in 2018. You might also read about QUACO’s phase-3, which introduces a smart procurement process. Indeed, to push current technological frontiers and develop solutions with a market potential calls for the participation of industry from an early stage.

The upcoming FCC Innovation Day in Liverpool aims to identify concrete R&D projects fostering collaboration between academia and industry. Previously, also on the topic of knowledge transfer, the ATS-KT Innovation Day that took place in October, building on CERN’s long tradition of disseminating its technologies to other fields. You will also find other stories in this issue, such as the new beam screens for HL-LHC and the ultrafast heating of atomic cluster for laser accelerators.

Last, but not least, I invite you to read a report on the ARIES Accelerator Communication and Outreach Workshop, organized by ARIES, and the new category in Accelerating News. We would be glad to use this space to share your experience in accelerator communication and outreach and we welcome all contributions to this effort. To keep up with the global innovation pace, we must build a culture of continuous learning and maximize the sharing of knowledge between different projects. This is the message I would like you to take from this editorial.

In the spirit of the season, the editorial team would like everyone a happy and meaningful holiday, to consider life’s blessings, and to share a kindness of spirit with those around you.

Happy Holidays and a Merry New Year,

Panos Charitos

Editor-In-Chief, Accelerating News