A proposed very high energy electron-proton collider, VHEeP

TL;DR

This paper discusses the concept of a very high energy electron-proton collider using plasma wakefield acceleration, aiming for 9 TeV center-of-mass energy, which could explore new physics beyond current colliders.

Contribution

It proposes a novel collider design with unprecedented energy levels, expanding the potential for discovering new physical phenomena.

Findings

Potential to reach 9 TeV center-of-mass energy

Sensitivity to new physics phenomena beyond HERA

Technical feasibility considerations discussed

Abstract

The possibility of using plasma wakefield acceleration to build a very high energy electron-proton (VHEeP) collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 9 TeV was presented at the DIS2015 workshop. In this talk, the physics case was further developed and the idea has since been published as a journal paper. A brief summary is here given along with some details of the technical aspects not covered in the paper, which focused on the physics motivation. It is demonstrated that an $ep$ collider with a centre-of-mass energy a factor of 30 above HERA has sensitivity to new physical phenomena.