International Linear Collider - Proposed Sites

Proposed Sites

Presently three sites for the International Linear Collider are leading contenders at established High Energy Physics center in Europe. At CERN in Geneva the tunnel is located deep underground in non-permeable bedrock. This site is considered favorable for a number of practical reasons but due to the LHC the site is disfavored. At DESY in Hamburg the tunnel is close to the surface in water saturated soil. Germany leads Europe for scientific funding and is therefore considered reliable in terms of funding. At JINR in Dubna the tunnel is close to the surface in non-permeable soil. Dubna has a pre-accelerator complex which could be easily adapted for the needs for the ILC. But all three are more or less well suited for housing a Linear Collider and one has ample choice for a site selection process in Europe.

Outside Europe a number of countries have expressed interest. Japan presently receives a large amount of funding for the neutrino activities, such as the T2K experiment, so it is disfavored although 20 huge caverns with access tunnels have already been constructed in Japan for hydroelectric power plants (e.g. the Kannagawa Hydropower Plant). With the impending closure of the Tevatron some groups within the USA have expressed interest, with Fermilab being a favored site because of the facilities and manpower already present. Much of the speculated interest from other countries is hearsay from within the scientific community and very few facts have been published officially. The information presented above is a summary of that contained in the International Workshop on Linear Colliders 2010 (ECFA-CLIC-ILC Joint Meeting) at CERN.