Linear Collider Report from WW Study Group

This document was commissioned by the Worldwide Study of Linear Collider Physics and Detectors at its August 2002 meeting in Jeju Korea. The original idea was that it serve as a statement of the case for the linear collider by particle physicists worldwide. It would thus be distinguished from the statements of the smaller panels in Asia, Europe and America both by its larger authorship, and by its collaborative inter-regional character. It was originally hoped that the document also serve some purpose in bringing the case to government officials around the world.

As the document drafting proceeded, it became clear that satisfying the dual role of stating the case for particle physicists and presenting the linear collider rationale to the governments was very difficult. The present draft is intended therefore just to be the statement of the particle physicists, although it is written in terms that we hope will be accessible to scientists in related disciplines. We hope that it will bear the names of a large segment of our community.

The first version issued on February 15, 2003 was widely circulated and some suggestions were made for improvement. The current version reflects these comments. We seek as broad a support in the high energy community as possible. Signators will be sought separately in Europe, Asia and North America and the names will be amalgamated into a master list of supporters.

This document will be the first statement made by the international HEP community and should demonstrate that there is a unified vision of the physics potential of the linear collider from physicists around the world. It should help the International Linear Collider Steering Committee in its attempt to define the scope of the baseline facility.

Other documents will be needed for other audiences. We need to demonstrate the urgency and appeal of the linear collider program to our colleagues in other scientific disciplines. And we need the materials for making the case for the linear collider to elected officials, and to those who set the broad science and technology policy in our governments. Those separate documents, aimed at individual national governments, remain to be written.

Final Document, 9 April 2003: MS Word , Web version , postcript , pdf

Comments received and responses.