Prospects for a Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC) at the LHC

Sub-atomic physics at the energy frontier probes the structure of the fundamental quanta of the Universe. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN opens for the first time the “terascale” (TeV energy scale) to experimental scrutiny, exposing the physics of the Universe at the subattometric (~10^-19 m, 10^-10 as) scale. The LHC will also take the science of nuclear matter to hitherto unparalleled energy densities (low-x physics). The hadron beams, protons or ions, in the LHC underpin this horizon, and also offer new experimental possibilities at this energy scale. A Large Hadron electron Collider*, LHeC, in which an electron (positron) beam of energy (70 to 140 GeV) is in collision with one of the LHC hadron beams, makes possible terascale lepton-hadron physics. The LHeC is presently being evaluated in the form of two options, “ring-ring” and “linac-ring”, either of which operate simultaneously with pp or ion-ion collisions in other LHC interaction regions. Each option takes advantage of recent advances in radio-frequency, in linear acceleration, and in other associated technologies, to achieve ep luminosity as large as 10^33 cm-2s-1. An overview is presented here of the scientific motivation and technical status of the LHeC project.