In the last update of the strategy document in 2020, ideas were presented for the time after the end of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) physics program at CERN. It states that CERN, together with international partners, should investigate the feasibility of a future circular accelerator. The scientific focus of the accelerator is on the precise measurement of the Higgs particle and other weakly interacting bosons. This so-called "Higgs Factory" is to be located in a new tunnel at CERN that is up to 100 kilometers long. In a later phase, this tunnel will be further utilized for a proton accelerator with a collision energy of up to 100 TeV.
An interim status of this feasibility study was presented to the CERN Council in February of this year. It presented many technical details for a possible new tunnel around the city of Geneva and Lake Geneva, as well as the first phase of the actual particle accelerator. The possible realization of this particle accelerator, currently known as the "Future Circular Collider" (FCC), will also be discussed.
As part of the strategy discussion, a prioritization of this and other particle physics projects with European participation is necessary. The CERN Council invites European particle physicists to submit their opinions for this prioritization. The event on 10 June will serve as a platform for discussions on the formulation of the Austrian particle physics community's statement, which is to be submitted to CERN by March 2025. The final "European Strategy for Particle Physics" is expected to be published in summer 2026 and will represent a decisive step in shaping the future of high-energy physics both in Europe and worldwide. Austria's participation in several projects to be discussed in the strategy process, including the FCC, emphasizes Austria's significant contribution to basic research in this field.
For participation in the process, please register here: indico.cern.ch/event/1406968/