A very high energy hadron collider on the Moon
James Beacham, Frank Zimmermann
The long-term prospect of building a hadron collider around the circumference of a great circle of the Moon is sketched. A Circular Collider on the Moon (CCM) of ∼11000 km in circumference could reach a proton-proton center-of-mass collision energy of 14 PeV -- a thousand times higher than the Large Hadron Collider at CERN -- optimistically assuming a dipole magnetic field of 20 T. Siting and construction considerations are presented. Machine parameters, powering, and vacuum needs are explored. An injection scheme is delineated. Other unknowns are set down. Through partnerships between public and private organizations interested in establishing a permanent Moon presence, a CCM could be the (next-to-) next-to-next-generation discovery machine and a natural successor to next-generation machines, such as the proposed Future Circular Collider at CERN or a Super Proton-Proton Collider in China, and other future machines, such as a Collider in the Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico. A CCM would serve as an important stepping stone towards a Planck-scale collider sited in our Solar System.