Grant: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Project

The International Linear Collider (ILC) [1] is the proposed next generation e+ e- world facility for particle physics after the CERN p-p collider LHC. The 500 GeV ILC is presently in advanced planning stage with the accelerator design permitting a future upgrade in energy to 1 TeV. The ILC Reference Design Report (RDR) with the baseline design for the ILC accelerator and design concepts for four detectors for physics was released in August 2007. The goal is to submit the engineering design report with costs for the ILC machine and the design for two approved detectors to the international funding agencies for approval by 2010 in time for LHC results. There are no technological hurdles to ILC being operational for physics data taking by the end of the next decade A large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC) read out with Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGD) is a strong candidate for charged particle tracking for one of the ILC detectors. There has been sustained worldwide R&D effort for some time to develop MPGDs for the ILC TPC readout. The Canadian physicists are in the forefront of this development being coordinated by the LCTPC collaboration. The first major LCTPC milestone goal is to build and test a 1 meter Large Prototype TPC (LP) to demonstrate by 2010 that the challenging ILC TPC momentum resolution goals can be achieved. The first large prototype LP1 will be tested at DESY in a 1 Tesla magnet. Canadian groups will be responsible for calibration and for seven Micromegas endplate modules and aspects of electronics jointly with France. This application requests funds for ILC-TPC R&D described in greater detail in our Discovery Grant application.