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Boost for Particle Physics in Germany:
Helmholtz Alliance “Physics at the Terascale” approved today
Hamburg, Germany, 15 May 2007: Physicists in Germany will soon be
able to strengthen their leading role in the international quest to understand
the fundamental laws of nature. The Senate of the
Helmholtz Association of
German Research Centres today granted 25 million Euros for the next five
years to the project proposal “Helmholtz Alliance Physics at the Terascale“,
proposed under the leadership of the
German
Electron Synchrotron DESY.
In this Alliance, the research center DESY – together with Forschungszentrum
Karlsruhe, 17 universities and the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich –
will bundle the existing competencies in Germany in the study of elementary
particles and the forces acting between them. At the same time, the Alliance
provides the basis to drive technological advancement in a concentrated way.
Scientists expect revolutionary new insights into the structure of matter and
the origin of the Universe from the science done by international collaborations
at unique particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the
European Center for Nuclear Research CERN in Geneva and the planned
International Linear Collider (ILC).
“With this Alliance, we consolidate the strengths of national research
institutes and universities in Germany, thus creating an attractive research
landscape. This way we can make sure that expertise stays in Germany,” said DESY
Research Director Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, one of the two scientific
coordinators of the Helmholtz Alliance. “The Alliance ‘Physics at the Terascale’
is a model for a future-oriented and sustainable network of expertise. The
partners represent the whole particle physics community in Germany with leading
experts, both nationally and internationally. The proposed structures for junior
scientist groups and temporary professorships are convincing because of their
multiplying factor. The selection committee unanimously and enthusiastically
approved the proposal,” said Prof. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz
Association.
“A collaboration with the Terascale Alliance’s features and scope is unique at
German universities and research centers,” said Prof. Peter Mättig (Wuppertal
University), Chairman of the Committee for Elementary Particle Physics (KET) and
Alliance coordinator as well. “German scientists are given the possibility to do
research at the top of some of the world’s most outstanding science projects.”
More than 50 new positions for scientists, engineers and technicians will be
financed with Alliance funds during the initial five-year period. Junior
scientists in particular are given the opportunity to lead research groups with
options for tenure positions, opening up attractive perspectives for a future in
particle physics. Joint junior positions at all partner institutes, coordinated
recruitment and teaching substitutes for scientists who are abroad make it
possible to work at large-scale international research institutes without
interfering with teaching duties.
The new network will enhance collaboration between universities and research
institutes in the fields of data analysis and development of new technologies.
Particular support will be given to the design of new IT structures and detector
and accelerator technologies that are of central importance for a sustainable
development of particle physics. The existing infrastructures at research
facilities will continuously be improved and interlinked to be made available to
all partners of the Alliance. This will increase the strength and international
visibility of the German institutes in the field of new technology development.
An Analysis Center for LHC data will be established at DESY. DESY will also
offer its facilities for tests for detector and accelerator development. Ten
Helmholtz Alliance positions will be opened at DESY. Prof. Albrecht Wagner,
Chairman of the DESY Directorate: “The approval of the Alliance is an enormous
success for particle physics in Germany. Collaboration between universities and
Helmholtz centers will be restructured and thereby strengthened considerably. We
are thus perfectly prepared for the scientific challenges in the coming years.”
Physics at the Terascale Both the Large
Hadron Collider LHC at CERN, a particle accelerator starting operation this
year, and the planned International Linear Collider ILC will offer physics
research at the Terascale with unprecedented energies (1 TeV = 1
Tera-electronvolt, the energy range covered by research with the LHC and the ILC).
With these large-scale facilities, scientists hope to get insights into the
origin and functioning of the universe. The results of LHC and ILC will give
answers to questions about dark matter, dark energy and the origin of mass. The
institutes already participating in these projects - DESY, Forschungszentrum
Karlsruhe, the universities of Aachen (RWTH), Berlin, Bonn, Dortmund, Dresden,
Freiburg, Giessen, Göttingen, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Mainz, München (LMU),
Rostock, Siegen, Würzburg, Wuppertal and the Max Planck Institute for Physics in
Munich as an associated partner – will gain more visibility with the help of the
Helmholtz Alliance.
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