Compact Linear Collider
Encyclopedia
The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a proposed linear particle accelerator
under design at CERN
. CLIC is separate from the International Linear Collider
project, and differs from it using normal conducting cavities (not superconducting like in ILC) to achieve a higher planned energy of several TeV
.
Currently research is in progress to develop cavities that can sustain the required alternating electric field. The aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of the
technology in the year 2010 to allow a decision to fund the project afterwards.
The novel feature of the CLIC proposal is its use of two-beam acceleration. The design involves coupled radio frequency cavities to transfer energy from a high-current
, low-energy drive beam to a low-current, high-energy beam to be used in collisions. It is hoped that this design will allow acceleration to significantly higher energies (3 to 5 TeV) in a shorter-length machine than the more conventional acceleration cavities of the ILC
design.
Linear particle accelerator
A linear particle accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that greatly increases the velocity of charged subatomic particles or ions by subjecting the charged particles to a series of oscillating electric potentials along a linear beamline; this method of particle acceleration was invented...
under design at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
. CLIC is separate from the International Linear Collider
International Linear Collider
The International Linear Collider is a proposed linear particle accelerator. It is planned to have a collision energy of 500 GeV initially, and, if approved after the project has published its Technical Design Report, planned for 2012, could be completed in the late 2010s. A later upgrade to 1000...
project, and differs from it using normal conducting cavities (not superconducting like in ILC) to achieve a higher planned energy of several TeV
.
Currently research is in progress to develop cavities that can sustain the required alternating electric field. The aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of the
technology in the year 2010 to allow a decision to fund the project afterwards.
The novel feature of the CLIC proposal is its use of two-beam acceleration. The design involves coupled radio frequency cavities to transfer energy from a high-current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
, low-energy drive beam to a low-current, high-energy beam to be used in collisions. It is hoped that this design will allow acceleration to significantly higher energies (3 to 5 TeV) in a shorter-length machine than the more conventional acceleration cavities of the ILC
International Linear Collider
The International Linear Collider is a proposed linear particle accelerator. It is planned to have a collision energy of 500 GeV initially, and, if approved after the project has published its Technical Design Report, planned for 2012, could be completed in the late 2010s. A later upgrade to 1000...
design.
External links
- The Compact Linear Collider Study
- CLIC in a nutshell on clic-study.org
- The Compact Linear Collider in symmetry magazine