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  • News

    News

  • Status

    Status

    More information about the status of an electron-ion collider can be found in the documents linked below. In 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued a report, “An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science.” Following the report, the directors of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and Brookhaven National Laboratory issued a joint statement of support. More information about the impetus for building an electron-ion collider can be found in the 2015 Long-Range Plan, issued by the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee..

     

  • Benefits

    Benefits

    Beyond sparking scientific discoveries in a new frontier of fundamental physics, an Electron-Ion Collider will trigger technological breakthroughs that have broad-ranging impacts on human health and national challenges. Research on the technologies needed to make this machine a reality is already pushing the evolution of magnets and other particle accelerator components. 
     
    Some of these advances could lead to energy-efficient accelerators, thereby dramatically shrinking the size and operating costs of accelerators used across science and industry for example, to make and test computer chips; to deliver energetic particle beams to zap cancer cells; to study and design improved sustainable energy technologies such as solar cells, batteries, and catalysts; and to develop new kinds of drugs and other medical treatments. New methods of particle detection developed for an EIC could also lead to advances in medical imaging and national security. 
     
    In truth, it’s nearly impossible to predict what will come from the knowledge gained from an EIC. History shows that applications springing from a deeper understanding of matter and fundamental forces things like GPS, microelectronics, and radiological techniques for diagnosing and treating disease often emerge many years after the foundational physics discoveries that make them possible. 
     
    But one thing is certain: Building the experiments that inspire and train the next generation of scientific explorers is essential for maintaining U.S. leadership in nuclear science and for developing the high-tech workforce needed to address some of our nation’s deepest challenges.

     

  • Design

    Design

    "Design"

    The Electron-Ion Collider would consist of two intersecting accelerators, one producing an intense beam of electrons, the other a beam of either protons or heavier atomic nuclei, which are then steered into head-on collisions.

    The accelerators will be designed so that both beams can be polarized to around 70 percent for electrons, protons and light nuclei. Electrons will be able to probe particles from protons to the heaviest stable nuclei at a very wide range of energies, starting from 20–100 billion electron-volts (GeV), upgradable to approximately 140 GeV, to produce images of the particles’ interiors at higher and higher resolution. At least one detector and possibly more would analyze thousands of particle collisions per second, amassing the data required to tease out the smallest effects required for significant discoveries.

    Building the EIC will require the same core expertise that led to the versatility of the polarized proton and heavy ion beams at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the unique polarized electron beam properties of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These two Department of Energy laboratories have been collaborating on initial studies and developing designs that make use of key existing infrastructure and capitalize on investments in science and technology. Each design approach would require the development of innovative accelerator and detector technologies to answer the questions described in this brochure.

     

  • Goals

    Goals

    There are many scientific questions that researchers expect an Electron-Ion Collider will allow them to answer. Among them are four main topics of study. 

     

    3D Structure of Protons and Nuclei
    3D Structure of Protons and Nuclei
    Scientists would use the Electron-Ion Collider to take three-dimensional precision snapshots of the internal structure of protons and atomic nuclei. As they pierce through the larger particles, the high-energy electrons will interact with the internal microcosm to reveal unprecedented details—zooming in beyond the simplistic structure of three valence quarks bound by a mysterious force. Recent experiments indicate that gluons—the glue-like carriers of the strong nuclear force that binds quarks together—multiply and appear to linger within particles accelerated close to the speed of light, and play a significant role in establishing key properties of protons and nuclear matter. By taking images at a range of energies, an EIC will reveal features of this “ocean” of gluons and the “sea” of quark-antiquark pairs that form when gluons split—allowing scientists to map out the particles’ distribution and movement within protons and nuclei, similar to the way medical imaging technologies construct 3D dynamic images of the brain. These studies may help reveal how the energy of the massless gluons is transformed through Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2, to generate most of the mass of visible matter.
    Solving the Mystery of Proton Spin
    Solving the Mystery of Proton Spin
    The Electron-Ion Collider would be the world’s first polarized electron-proton collider where both the electron and proton beams have their spins aligned in a controllable way. This polarization makes it possible to make precision measurements of how a proton’s constituent quarks and gluons and their interactions contribute to the proton’s intrinsic angular momentum, or spin. Spin influences the proton’s optical, electrical, and magnetic characteristics and makes technologies such as MRI scanning work, but its origin has eluded physicists ever since experiments in the 1980s revealed that quarks can account for only about a third of the total spin. More recent experiments show that gluons make a significant contribution, perhaps even more than the quarks. An Electron-Ion Collider would produce definitive measurements of the gluons’ contributions, including how their movements within the proton microcosm affect its overall spin structure—thus providing the final pieces needed to solve this longstanding puzzle.
    Search for Saturation
    Search for Saturation
    Capturing the dynamic action of gluons within protons and nuclei will give scientists a way to test their understanding of these particles’ ephemeral properties. As gluons flit in and out of the vacuum, multiplying and recombining, scientists suspect they may reach a steady state of saturation called a “color glass condensate.” This unique form of nuclear matter gets its name from the “color” charges that mediate the interactions of the strong nuclear force, and the dense, glasslike walls these particles are thought to form in nuclei accelerated to nearly the speed of light, seemingly suspended by the effects of time dilation. Scientists will use the Electron-Ion Collider to search for definitive proof of whether this form of matter exists, and test the limits of gluons’ ability to expand beyond the bounds of a single proton/ neutron inside a nucleus. They’ll also explore the mechanism that keeps gluon growth in check, like a lid clamping down on an overflowing popcorn pot. Precisely measuring the strength of the gluon fields, which constitute the strongest fields found in nature, will tell us how gluons interact with each other and how they contribute to building the bulk of visible matter in the universe today.
    Quark and Gluon Confinement
    Quark and Gluon Confinement
    Experiments at an EIC would offer novel insight into why quarks or gluons can never be observed in isolation, but must transform into and remain confined within protons and nuclei. The EIC—with its unique combinations of high beam energies and intensities—would cast fresh light into quark and gluon confinement, a key puzzle in the Standard Model of physics.
  • About

    About

    The Electron-Ion Collider is a proposed machine for delving deeper than ever before into the building blocks of matter, so that we may better understand the matter within us and its role in the universe around us.

    Learn more about this first-of-its-kind machine in the documents linked below.

     

  • Creative Energy. Supercharged with Science.

    Accelerate your career with a new role at the nation's newest national laboratory. Here you can be part of a team exploring the building blocks of matter and lay the ground work for scientific discoveries that will reshape our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time.

     

    Title Job ID Category Date Posted
    Radiation Control Technician 13391 Technology
    Lead Magnet Engineer 13366 Engineering
    Deputy CNI Manager 13378 Computer
    ES&H Department Head 13338 Engineering
    Sustainability Engineer (Electrical) 13364 Engineering
    Communications Office Student Intern 13310 Public Relations
    HPDF Project Director 13373 Computer
    Data Acquisition Scientist 13404 Computer
    Hall C Technician III 13390 Misc./Trades
    Cybersecurity Student Intern 13406 Computer
    DC Power Group Leader 13380 Engineering
    Magnet Group Mechanical/Electrical Designer 13388 Misc./Trades
    Gaseous Detector Support Staff Engineer 13400 Engineering
    Administrative Assistant - Electron Ion Collider Project 13375 Clerical/Admin
    Project Controls Analyst 13302 Clerical/Admin
    Magnet Group Staff Engineer 13370 Engineering
    MPGD Development Physicist 13381 Science
    Accelerator Operator 13403 Technology
    RadCon Manager 13337 Environmental Safety
    User Support Technician I 13405 Computer
    CIS Postdoctoral Fellow 13102 Science
    MIS Application Server Administrator 13394 Computer
    Vacuum Engineer 13396 Engineering
    Data Center Operations Manager 13327 Engineering
    Scientific Data and Computing Department Head 13383 Computer
    Geant4 Developer 13214 Computer
    Survey & Alignment Technician (Metrology) 13385 Misc./Trades
    Master HVAC Technician 13367 Misc./Trades
    SRF Accelerator Physicist 13359 Science
    Storage Solutions Architect 13238 Computer
    High Throughput Computing (HTC) Hardware Engineer 13197 Computer
    IT Project Manager 13340 Clerical/Admin
    Fusion Project Technician 13389 Misc./Trades
    Mechanical Engineer III 13140 Engineering
    Why choose us

    A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.

    Welcome from Stuart Henderson, Lab Director
    Why choose Jefferson Lab
    Groundbreaking Science
    Groundbreaking Science /research/science
    Innovative Technology
    Innovative Technology /AI
    Diverse Workforce
    Diverse Workforce /human_resources/diversity
    PASSION AND PURPOSE
    • PASSION AND PURPOSE
      Middle School Science Bowl competitors huddle together to brainstorm the answer.
    • PASSION AND PURPOSE
      Local teachers share ideas for a classroom activity with other teachers during Teacher Night.
    • PASSION AND PURPOSE
      Two young learners hold up a model of the atom during Deaf Science Camp.
    • PASSION AND PURPOSE
      Staff Scientist Douglas Higinbotham snaps a selfie with some of the postdoc students he is mentoring.

    At Jefferson Lab we believe in giving back to our community and encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our staff reaches out to students to advance awareness and appreciation of the range of research carried out within the DOE national laboratory system, to increase interest in STEM careers for women and minorities, and to encourage everyone to become a part of the next-generation STEM workforce. We are recognized for our innovative programs like:

    • 1,500 students from 15 Title I schools engage in the Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (BEAMS) program at the lab each school year.

    • 60 teachers are enrolled in the Jefferson Science Associates Activities for Teachers (JSAT) program at the lab inspiring 9,000 students annually.

    • 24 high school students have internships and 34 college students have mentorships at the lab.

       

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    Meet our people
    • Cristiano Fanelli

      EIC User: Cristiano Fanelli - EIC Scientist and MIT Research Scientist

      Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist aims to use Artificial Intelligence to support the EIC science

      What is your role in the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC)?
      I am the convener of the computing team at the EIC Comprehensive Chromodynamics Experiment (ECCE) consortium, a proposal for an EIC experiment.

      The ECCE consortium recognizes the pivotal role that artificial intelligence (AI) can play in experiments like the EIC and, from that understanding, created the computing team as a working group dedicated to AI. The computing team coordinates the activities of the AI working group and the computing and software working group. Within the AI working group, I lead different activities where AI is utilized to improve the ECCE detector design.

      Optimizing the design of a large-scale hermetic detector for EIC is a complex problem characterized by multiple design parameters and design criteria. In this regard, ECCE is leading pioneering work that has an unprecedented level of complexity for AI-supported detector design in nuclear and particle physics.

      The EIC is one of the first experiments to leverage AI starting from the design and R&D phases; and when it will be operating, it will massively utilize AI with the merging of online and offline computing supported by streaming readout.

      Among my activities at the EIC, I am the creator and organizer of the first workshop on AI for the Electron-Ion Collider that was held in September 2021.

      How did you get involved with the EIC project?
      My involvement with EIC started in 2018, when I was the recipient of the inaugural Electron-Ion Collider Fellowship at Jefferson Lab. The fellowship enabled me to investigate and develop new frameworks based on AI for improving the design of complex sub-detectors and for supporting the R&D of the sub-detectors.

      During this fellowship, we published the first AI-related paper for EIC, where we showcased how we employed AI for the design of the dual-radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH), which is a particle identification detector.

      Since then, I have been involved in the activities of the EIC consortia, in the Yellow Report initiative and, more recently, in the development of a detector proposal with ECCE.   

      Why do you feel that the EIC is an important facility?
      One important cosmological model says that the total mass-energy of the universe contains about five percent of ordinary matter–the matter we are made of. The remainder of the universe consists of dark matter and dark energy. The ordinary mass resides predominantly in the nucleons (made of quarks and gluons) at the heart of atomic nuclei.   

      As a post-graduate student, I was involved in the Higgs boson discovery at CMS-CERN. From that discovery, we now know that the Higgs field permeates our universe and is responsible for making certain elementary particles massive.

      Interestingly, the quarks themselves have little mass and the gluons are massless. Therefore, most of the mass of the nucleons arises dynamically from the back-reaction of the color gluon fields of quantum chromodynamics (QCD).

      The dynamics describing how this mass comes to be has not yet been fully experimentally accessed and understood. An experiment like EIC can allow major breakthroughs with QCD, whose implications are unimaginable.

      Potential discoveries can shed light not only on the origin of mass: for example, we utilize the proton spin for magnetic resonance imaging, but we are still far from achieving a comprehensive picture of how the spin of the proton arises from quarks and gluons.

      What do you hope to learn with the EIC?
      We can do a plenitude of physics at the EIC! The EIC will be the ultimate machine to study QCD.

      Gluonic fields constitute the strongest fields in nature, and the EIC will allow us to make high precision measurements to understand the glue that binds us all.

      The high energy interaction of polarized electron beams with protons and ions will allow the study of the properties of confinement of quarks and gluons inside composite hadronic particles. We can study how these interactions are modified if the quarks’ and gluons' spins are polarized.

      The EIC will allow for a precision 3D imaging of protons and nucleons and, with the help of modern techniques based on AI to extract information from data, reveal features of the gluons and quark-antiquark pairs that form when the gluons interact.

      3D imaging using AI will help to shed light on the so-called “proton spin puzzle” by producing definitive measurements of the quark and gluon contributions to the nucleon spin.

      The EIC will allow the search for gluon saturation—a phenomenon that is thought to produce a form of nuclear matter called “color glass condensate.”

      The EIC will also allow us to investigate and characterize effects like nuclear shadowing, which are responsible for the different distribution of quarks in nuclei as opposed to nucleons.

      The EIC is also perfectly positioned to explore heavy flavor physics with the possibility of searching for new composite states.

      The EIC is in its design and R&D phase. I am excited at the idea that I will be directly involved during all the different phases until it is operational. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that allows one to build a comprehensive knowledge of the experiment.

      This process is also accompanied by the AI revolution that will foster new solutions and approaches. I think the EIC can be one of the first—if not the first experiment to systematically utilize AI during all phases until its realization, and for this reason, I recently organized the AI4EIC workshop.

      What is the biggest software or data challenge you expect to face in your EIC research?
      From the Yellow Report, it is clear that the EIC community is preparing for a new paradigm shift in how data acquisition systems operate due to the need to support processing large volumes of data in near real-time.

      Streaming readout can eliminate the hardware trigger and replace the trigger decision with a data selection that is realized in software. This will further the integration of online and offline analyses, leading to better quality control during data-taking and allowing shorter analysis cycles. At the same time, this entails a great challenge for the current computational power available with traditional computing resources.

      In the next few years, advances in AI could be a competing alternative to the present computational paradigms. New, cutting-edge architectures will promote faster and automated reconstruction, calibration and alignment.  

      What fascinates or excites you most about your work? Why?
      I find it fascinating to combine cutting-edge research on AI with the physics program at the EIC—a marriage that enables new insights into the properties of the strong interaction.

      What is currently the most prominent 'thing' on your desktop, physical or virtual?
      On my desktop, you would certainly find a few monitors... I am currently working on the AI-supported design of different sub-detectors and on the R&D of new materials to use as radiators.

      I am also developing new particle identification algorithms and faster alignment procedures by leveraging unsupervised and deep learning.

      What does a typical workday look like for you?
      I think it is fair to say that the COVID-19 outbreak had an impact on many of us, creating a more blurred boundary between work time and family. The workday typically consists of attending multiple EIC virtual meetings every day, doing research and supervising students. 

      I am indebted to my wife for the hard work in keeping my daughter busy since I began doing smart work in early 2020. I enjoy every moment spent together with her and with my daughter. I miss having discussions with colleagues in person, but I think we all learned how to make the most of virtual meetings. 

      What do you like to do when you aren't working on EIC science?

      In addition to the EIC physics, I am a long-standing user of Jefferson Lab and I have collaborated over the years for various experiments in different experimental halls.

      A large part of my research is currently focused on AI applications for experimental nuclear physics, and I am particularly interested in incorporating intelligence in particle detecting systems, as well as in new software and computing paradigms that can accelerate discoveries in nuclear and particle physics.

      I also have a keen interest in phenomenology.

      I really enjoy supervising, teaching and giving lectures. In the past few years, I have welcomed a growing number of students to work with me in AI applications in our field. 

      Outside of science, I like to spend time with my family and play with my kid. I am a former football (I guess I should say soccer) player and a guitar lover. Lately, I am into using music apps to create new tracks and explore new genres with AI. 

      Further Reading
      Physicist Takes Cues from Artificial Intelligence

      This story is a pilot project conceived by the Software Working Group of the EIC User Group to become part of a series of profiles of future users of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a next-generation nuclear physics research facility being built at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory in partnership with DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and collaborators around the world. The Software Working Group seeks to develop user-friendly tools to meet the data and software needs of the international group of physicists who will conduct research at the EIC.

      * The user profiles feature members from the EIC User Group and two EIC proto-collaborations, the A Totally Hermetic Electron-Nucleus Apparatus (ATHENA) collaboration and the EIC Comprehensive Chromodynamics Experiment (ECCE) consortium. 

      The EIC project is funded primarily by the DOE Office of Science.

      As told to Carrie Rogers

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    LIFE AT JEFFERSON LAB

    The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community with deep historical roots that date back to the founding of our nation. Staff members can live on or near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region or find peace in the deeply wooded coastal plain. You will have easy access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers along the United States east coast.

    To learn more about the region and its museums, wineries, parks, zoos and more, visit the Virginia tourism page, Virginia is for Lovers. 

    To learn more about life at Jefferson Lab, click here.

     

    We support our inventors! The lab provides resources to employees for the development of patented technology -- with over 180 awarded to date! Those looking to obtain patent coverage for their newly developed technologies and inventions while working at the lab are supported and mentored by technology experts, from its discovery to its applied commercialization, including opportunities for monetary awards and royalty sharing. Learn more about our patents and technologies here.

    SRF Cavities
    SRF Cavities (45.04 KB)
    Circuit Modules
    Circuit Modules (56.81 KB)
    Neutron Detectors
    Neutron Detectors (49.23 KB)
    3D Imaging
    3D Imaging (61.81 KB)
    • Ron Lassiter
      Ron Lassiter
      Mechanical Designer

      “Here at the lab you get to see what you’ve worked on. You can hold it in your hands. It’s rewarding to know that you’ve played a part in helping the machine to be successful.”

      /people/Ron_Lassiter_Mechanical_Designer
    • Scott Conley
      Scott Conley
      Environmental Management Team

      "There is world-class research going on here. Any given day you can be in the room with genius physicists and that’s just amazing.”

      /people/sconley
    • Holly Szumila-Vance
      Holly Szumila-Vance
      Staff Scientist

      "Today, we use a lot of those same teamwork traits [learned from the military] on a daily basis as we're all working toward similar goals here at the lab in better understanding nuclei!"

      Holly Szumila-Vance
    • Katherine Wilson
      Katherine Wilson
      Staff Engineer

      “Generally, the mechanical engineers at the lab support the physicists. The physicists have the big ideas about how to support new science, and the engineers figure out how to make that happen.”

      /people/Katherine_Wilson_Staff_Engineer
    • Kim Edwards
      Kim Edwards
      IT Division/Information Resource

      "When I’m 95 years old, I hope I will be one of those people who worked in the background to affect other people’s lives for the better."

      Kim Edwards

    Jefferson Science Associates, LLC manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Jefferson Science Associates/Jefferson Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.

    If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or call (757) 269-7100 between 8 am – 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.

     

    JSA is an E-Verify Employer

     

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    "Proud V3-Certified Company"

    A Proud V3-Certified Company
    JSA/Jefferson Lab values the skills, experience and expertise veterans can offer due to the myriad of experiences, skill sets and knowledge service members achieve during their years of service. The organization is committed to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans, and its ongoing efforts has earned JSA/Jefferson Lab the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification, awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.