Periodic Reporting for period 3 - FCCIS (Future Circular Collider Innovation Study)
Período documentado: 2023-11-02 hasta 2024-11-01
To address the most pressing open questions in fundamental physics, particularly those sharpened by the discovery of the Higgs boson, no scientific instrument conceived today matches the potential of a next-generation particle collider. Recognizing this, the 2020 update to the European Strategy for Particle Physics identified an electron-positron collider (Higgs factory) as the highest-priority facility after the LHC, followed by a high-energy hadron collider in the same 100 km tunnel.
The FCC Feasibility Study, supported by the H2020 FCC Innovation Study (FCCIS), has been instrumental in evaluating the technical, financial, and environmental feasibility of the project. FCCIS has played a critical role in preparing the feasibility report due in 2025/2026, ahead of the next update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics. By delivering a conceptual design and an implementation plan, FCCIS has provided the foundation for a global research infrastructure, designed around a 90-100 km tunnel and multiple surface sites.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF FCCIS
The FCCIS Design Study has not only ensured the feasibility of the FCC project but also established a robust network of European R&D institutions, industries, and funding agencies, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across physics, engineering, and policy-making. It has also:
• Strengthened international coordination, including synergy-building workshops with global physics projects like the Electron-Ion Collider (USA).
• Advanced regulatory frameworks, working with French and Swiss authorities, leading to policy adaptations such as the update of Swiss law on Research and Innovation, which secured federal-level strategic recognition for CERN projects.
• Developed cutting-edge accelerator technology, including “xsuite” software, now deployed at PETRA III (DESY, Germany) for medical research. Moreover, developed new technologies that will allow the more efficient and sustainable operation of the proposed RI. These advancements will harmonize European accelerator operations and improve efficiency.
• Enhanced socio-economic impact analysis methodologies, now integrated into the RI-PATHS H2020 "RI Impact Assessment Toolkit", ensuring data-driven decision-making for future research infrastructures.
• Promoted sustainability strategies, particularly in the management of excavated materials, establishing best practices for large-scale projects with environmental and economic benefits for the European industry.
While the FCC is a long-term project, its timescales are tight—a post-LHC collider must be operational by the 2040s, necessitating construction in the early 2030s. The FCCIS project has helped accelerate preparations, ensuring a smooth transition from the High-Luminosity LHC while reinforcing Europe’s scientific leadership, technological innovation, and industrial competitiveness.
By merging fundamental research with applied technologies, FCCIS has created lasting impact beyond physics, shaping policy, technology, and sustainability at a European and global level. Its methodologies are already influencing other large-scale projects while also opening the dialogue for joint activities with other European Big Science organizations.
Through FCCIS, Europe has taken a decisive step toward realizing the next-generation collider, ensuring that global scientific progress remains anchored in European innovation.
The FCC Feasibility Study, supported by the H2020 FCC Innovation Study (FCCIS), has been instrumental in evaluating the technical, financial, and environmental feasibility of the project. FCCIS has played a critical role in preparing the feasibility report due in 2025/2026, ahead of the next update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics. By delivering a conceptual design and an implementation plan, FCCIS has provided the foundation for a global research infrastructure, designed around a 90-100 km tunnel and multiple surface sites.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF FCCIS
The FCCIS Design Study has not only ensured the feasibility of the FCC project but also established a robust network of European R&D institutions, industries, and funding agencies, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across physics, engineering, and policy-making. It has also:
• Strengthened international coordination, including synergy-building workshops with global physics projects like the Electron-Ion Collider (USA).
• Advanced regulatory frameworks, working with French and Swiss authorities, leading to policy adaptations such as the update of Swiss law on Research and Innovation, which secured federal-level strategic recognition for CERN projects.
• Developed cutting-edge accelerator technology, including “xsuite” software, now deployed at PETRA III (DESY, Germany) for medical research. Moreover, developed new technologies that will allow the more efficient and sustainable operation of the proposed RI. These advancements will harmonize European accelerator operations and improve efficiency.
• Enhanced socio-economic impact analysis methodologies, now integrated into the RI-PATHS H2020 "RI Impact Assessment Toolkit", ensuring data-driven decision-making for future research infrastructures.
• Promoted sustainability strategies, particularly in the management of excavated materials, establishing best practices for large-scale projects with environmental and economic benefits for the European industry.
While the FCC is a long-term project, its timescales are tight—a post-LHC collider must be operational by the 2040s, necessitating construction in the early 2030s. The FCCIS project has helped accelerate preparations, ensuring a smooth transition from the High-Luminosity LHC while reinforcing Europe’s scientific leadership, technological innovation, and industrial competitiveness.
By merging fundamental research with applied technologies, FCCIS has created lasting impact beyond physics, shaping policy, technology, and sustainability at a European and global level. Its methodologies are already influencing other large-scale projects while also opening the dialogue for joint activities with other European Big Science organizations.
Through FCCIS, Europe has taken a decisive step toward realizing the next-generation collider, ensuring that global scientific progress remains anchored in European innovation.
The H2020 FCCIS Design Study has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) and played a pivotal role in advancing the FCC Feasibility Study (FS). It established a pan-European network of research institutions, industries, and funding bodies, ensuring broad and lasting impact across multiple disciplines.
KEY WORK PERFORMED AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. FCC Feasibility Structure and Governance
2. Technical Design and Infrastructure Studies
3. Innovation in Excavation and Sustainability
4. Socio-Economic and Policy Impact
5. Communication and Outreach
KEY WORK PERFORMED AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. FCC Feasibility Structure and Governance
2. Technical Design and Infrastructure Studies
3. Innovation in Excavation and Sustainability
4. Socio-Economic and Policy Impact
5. Communication and Outreach
COLLIDER DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
• Expected luminosity revisited, leading to an optimized collider layout with four interaction points (IPs) to accommodate RF, collimation, and injection/extraction sections.
• New beam optics and performance parameters developed and stored in the FCC optics repository.
• The impedance budget continuously updated as vacuum component designs are refined, allowing for precise modeling of collective effects, instability thresholds, and luminosity performance.
ADVANCED BEAM DIAGNOSTICS AND INSTRUMENTATION
• Novel diagnostics concept developed using an electro-optical setup for bunch-by-bunch longitudinal profile measurements.
• Time-resolved horizontal beam size measurements in a dispersive section have been proposed to assess energy spread.
• A prototype diagnostics system is currently being tested at the KARA accelerator (KIT) as part of D2.4 helping to validate advanced beam monitoring methodologies.
FINANCIAL MODELING AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY
• A dedicated work package (WP) has developed a comprehensive financial model for FCC-ee, integrating costing data and funding scenarios from FCCIS participants.
• These findings provide a detailed cost estimate that will support the final feasibility study report, ensuring financial and operational sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Territorial Development and Open Data for France, Switzerland, and the EU: FCCIS has conducted detailed environmental studies across 585 ha, assessing land use, biodiversity impact, and ecosystem resilience.
ENERGY DEMAND AND RENEWABLE INTEGRATION
• The FCC’s estimated annual energy demand is 1.3 TWh, comparable to CERN’s 2022 consumption of 1.2 TWh.
• A detailed energy cost estimate was conducted. This work led to the development of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) framework, ensuring that future particle colliders prioritize renewable energy sources.
• The study demonstrated that long-term energy procurement strategies could generate societal benefits by allowing energy producers to scale up renewable capacity.
Innovative Cooling and Waste Heat Recovery
• A feasibility study on using wastewater for cooling has been initiated with industry partners.
• A techno-economic study evaluated the potential for waste heat recovery.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND WIDER SOCIETAL IMPACTS
Regional Engagement and Industrial Partnerships
• FCCIS has established interfaces with regional industrial partners, host-state regulators, and stakeholder groups to assess the local effects of FCC construction and long-term operation.
• These engagements have led to the development of regional growth scenarios, integrating FCC’s infrastructure within France and Switzerland’s long-term territorial planning.
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
• The FCC FS report is being finalized and will serve as the key reference document for the 2025/2026 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics.
• A new edition of the “Code of the Universe” photography exhibition has been launched.
• The second EIROForum workshop, held in collaboration with ESA in Paris, gathered European Big Science RIs and policymakers to explore methods for monitoring the impact of research infrastructures (RIs).
MEDIA AND PUBLIC OUTREACH
A press event was successfully held for local and national media in France and Switzerland, increasing visibility and public engagement around the FCC project and its societal benefits.
• Expected luminosity revisited, leading to an optimized collider layout with four interaction points (IPs) to accommodate RF, collimation, and injection/extraction sections.
• New beam optics and performance parameters developed and stored in the FCC optics repository.
• The impedance budget continuously updated as vacuum component designs are refined, allowing for precise modeling of collective effects, instability thresholds, and luminosity performance.
ADVANCED BEAM DIAGNOSTICS AND INSTRUMENTATION
• Novel diagnostics concept developed using an electro-optical setup for bunch-by-bunch longitudinal profile measurements.
• Time-resolved horizontal beam size measurements in a dispersive section have been proposed to assess energy spread.
• A prototype diagnostics system is currently being tested at the KARA accelerator (KIT) as part of D2.4 helping to validate advanced beam monitoring methodologies.
FINANCIAL MODELING AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY
• A dedicated work package (WP) has developed a comprehensive financial model for FCC-ee, integrating costing data and funding scenarios from FCCIS participants.
• These findings provide a detailed cost estimate that will support the final feasibility study report, ensuring financial and operational sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Territorial Development and Open Data for France, Switzerland, and the EU: FCCIS has conducted detailed environmental studies across 585 ha, assessing land use, biodiversity impact, and ecosystem resilience.
ENERGY DEMAND AND RENEWABLE INTEGRATION
• The FCC’s estimated annual energy demand is 1.3 TWh, comparable to CERN’s 2022 consumption of 1.2 TWh.
• A detailed energy cost estimate was conducted. This work led to the development of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) framework, ensuring that future particle colliders prioritize renewable energy sources.
• The study demonstrated that long-term energy procurement strategies could generate societal benefits by allowing energy producers to scale up renewable capacity.
Innovative Cooling and Waste Heat Recovery
• A feasibility study on using wastewater for cooling has been initiated with industry partners.
• A techno-economic study evaluated the potential for waste heat recovery.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND WIDER SOCIETAL IMPACTS
Regional Engagement and Industrial Partnerships
• FCCIS has established interfaces with regional industrial partners, host-state regulators, and stakeholder groups to assess the local effects of FCC construction and long-term operation.
• These engagements have led to the development of regional growth scenarios, integrating FCC’s infrastructure within France and Switzerland’s long-term territorial planning.
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
• The FCC FS report is being finalized and will serve as the key reference document for the 2025/2026 update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics.
• A new edition of the “Code of the Universe” photography exhibition has been launched.
• The second EIROForum workshop, held in collaboration with ESA in Paris, gathered European Big Science RIs and policymakers to explore methods for monitoring the impact of research infrastructures (RIs).
MEDIA AND PUBLIC OUTREACH
A press event was successfully held for local and national media in France and Switzerland, increasing visibility and public engagement around the FCC project and its societal benefits.