The HL-LHC Project Gets Ready for Its Deployment

Following the successful completion of the second long shutdown (LS2), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is preparing for its final operational run before the majority of the High Luminosity Upgrade (HL-LHC) will be installed during the third Long Shutdown starting in 2026. The HL-LHC upgrade will enable a further tenfold increase in integrated luminosity delivered to the ATLAS and CMS experiments, starting by an upgrade of the machine protection, collimation and shielding systems in LS2, and followed by the deployment of novel key technologies, including Nb₃Sn based insertion region magnets, cold powering by MgB₂ superconducting links and integration of Nb crab-cavities to compensate the effects of a larger crossing angle. After a period of intensive R&D and prototyping, the project is now entering the phase of industrialization and series production for all main components. In this contribution, we provide an overview of the project status and plans for deployment and performance ramp-up. Progress on the validation of key technologies, status of prototypes and series production as well as the final integration studies for the HL equipment are summarized. These are accompanied by the imminent completion of major civil engineering work and the start of infrastructure installations. Initial operational experience will be gained at the Inner Triplet (IT) String, presently in assembly at CERN’s Superconducting Magnet Test Facility, which will enable a fully integrated test of the main magnets, powering, and protection systems in the actual HL-LHC insertion configuration.