The end of a remarkable era
An important era in particle physics is coming to an end: the US Department of Energy announced on Monday that it will not fund an extension to Tevatron running beyond 2011. It is a poignant moment for particle physics as we prepare to bid farewell to a machine that has changed our view of the Universe, and played a significant role in paving the way for the new era that is opening up with the LHC.
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Custodianship of the high-energy frontier passed to CERN at the end of 2009 when LHC collision energies surpassed those of the Tevatron for the first time. Exciting though this is for CERN, I am ever mindful of the help that Fermilab has given us over the years in achieving that milestone, and that Tevatron scientists continue to bring to the LHC programme thanks to their decades of experience.
The fates and missions of CERN and Fermilab have always been firmly intertwined, and this week’s decision does nothing to change that. This year, I will be working closely with Pier Oddone and other lab directors to define a global vision for particle physics, and we’ll be discussing that subject at the ICFA seminar here at CERN in October. Part of that vision is clear already – there is more than one important frontier in the quest to explore the particle world. While the LHC is currently the world’s energy frontier facility, Fermilab has long made it clear that its post-Tevatron strategy would be to pursue the intensity frontier. On past record, we can expect another trail blazing performance, and I wish the lab every success as it moves on to this challenging and vital next phase.
Rolf Heuer