Review of scientific and technical options for the Superconducting Super Collider Program

Abstract

This document is a review of options for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Program. It is the result of an informal study by an ad-hoc working group consisting of Laboratory physicists and engineers who investigated the physics and technical implications of a number of possible alternative SSC programs. Previous studies have shown, and early in this study it was confirmed, that a collider of approximately 20 TeV protons on 20 TeV protons with a luminosity of 10{sup 33} cm{sup {minus}2}s{sup {minus}1} at each interaction region is needed to support a physics program that is guaranteed to answer existing particle physics questions and make new discoveries. Therefore, all options considered in this document were consistent with attainment of these original goals for the SSC. One promising option considered was a program of colliding anti-protons on protons as a possible means to reduce the cost of the SSC by eliminating one of the Collider rings. However, the luminosity requirements to obtain the SSC physics goals remains the same as for protons colliding with protons and this study confirms that even though progress has been made over the last ten years in obtaining the high intensity anti-proton beams necessary, a luminosity higher than 10{sup 32} cannot be guaranteed. Other options were examined to see what advantages could be derived by departing from the SSC baseline program, either in schedule, in parameters, by staging, or by combinations of these options. Even though we considered re-examination of the cost of the baseline program to be beyond the scope of this document, differential cost savings were estimated. Finally, a brief survey of progress over the last ten years in various technical areas that might lead to more cost effective engineering designs was included in this study, such as higher magnetic field magnets resulting from lower operating temperatures or higher current-carrying superconducting materials.