International Linear Collider

An overview graphic of the planned ILC based on the accelerator design of the Technical Design Report

The International Linear Collider (ILC) is a proposed linear particle accelerator.[1] It is planned to have a collision energy of 500 GeV initially, with the possibility for a later upgrade to 1000 GeV (1 TeV). Although early proposed locations for the ILC were Japan, Europe (CERN) and the USA (Fermilab),[2] the Kitakami highland in the Iwate prefecture of northern Japan has been the focus of ILC design efforts since 2013.[3] The Japanese government is willing to contribute half of the costs, according to the coordinator of study for detectors at the ILC.[4]

The ILC would collide electrons with positrons. It will be between 30 km and 50 km (19–31 mi) long, more than 10 times as long as the 50 GeV Stanford Linear Accelerator, the longest existing linear particle accelerator. The proposal is based on previous similar proposals from Europe, the U.S., and Japan.

In a staged approach, the ILC could initially be constructed at 250 GeV, for use as a Higgs factory.[5] Such a design would be approximately 20 km in length.

Studies for an alternative project, the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) are also underway, which would operate at higher energies (up to 3 TeV) in a machine of length similar to the ILC. These two projects, CLIC and the ILC, have been unified under the Linear Collider Collaboration.[6]

  1. ^ "The International Linear Collider – Gateway to the Quantum Universe". ILC Community. 2007-10-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  2. ^ Hamish Johnston. "Where should the International Linear Collider be built?". physicsworld.com. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  3. ^ "ILC - Status of the project". www.linearcollider.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  4. ^ "The new particle accelerator ILC will not be completed before 2026, says François Richard (Spanish)". 2012-06-11. Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  5. ^ List, Jenny (28 January 2021). "ILC: beyond the Higgs". The CERN Courier. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  6. ^ "LCC - Linear Collider Collaboration". www.linearcollider.org. Retrieved 2016-12-14.