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What part can US researchers play in the high luminosity upgrade of the LHC? This was one of the key points of the May meeting between the HiLumi LHC project and the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP), which took place in Fermilab, Chicago. For almost ten years, LARP laboratories (BNL, FNAL, LBNL and SLAC) have been collaborating with CERN in connection with the Large Hadron Collider. Now, with the HiLumi LHC design study underway, the time has come to plan US contribution in concrete terms for the upgrade itself. LARP has a strong basis in magnet R&D and accelerator physics. For magnets, the move now is to shift from R&D to pre-production prototypes. For accelerator physics, as well as retaining beam-beam studies, there is a growing interest for LARP to participate in crab cavity work. The May meeting also provided an opportunity to evaluate candidates for the LARP Toohig fellowship. This prestigious opportunity allows post-doctorate researchers to work on LHC activities, dividing their time between CERN and LARP laboratories. Of the four excellent candidates that presented at the May meeting, Silvia Verdu Andres was selected. A second fellowship will be allocated shortly, joining the current Toohig fellows are John Cesaratto (SLAC), Valentina Previtali (FNAL) and Simone White (BNL). LARP and HiLumi LHC collaborations will continue to be developed, notably with the next joint meeting in Frascati, Italy in November. Presentations from the May meeting are available online. |
