MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS 02139 June 13, 1969 Dr. Paul McDaniel Director, Division of Research Dear Dr. McDaniel: As the Chairman of the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel of the AEC I herewith transmit to you a report of this Panel on the present state of Elementary Particle Physics and on the resources and facilities needed to pursue this fundamental field of research. This report contains recommendations as to the future program in this field for the coming decade. The panel was aware of the high cost of construction and operation of high-energy physics facilities and of similar needs in other fields of science. The recommendations made in this report are aimed at the maintenance of United States leadership in elementary particle physics, without making use of an unduly large share of the available resources for basic science in general. We are encouraged by the strong support from the AEC, from the Executive and from Congress in favor of the construction of the new 200 BeV accelerator in Illinois, and we conclude from this support that our conviction as to the prime importance of this fundamental research is shared by the authorities. It is expected that U.S. high energy physics research can be maincained at a vigorous and productive level with an average increase of about 8% per annum over the next ten years. ecessary increase will be larger in the first part of this period because of the construction of the new 200 Bev accelerator but it will be smaller afterwards. The Such average increase would be in line with the increase of support which can be expected in the future for basic Science in general. It therefore does not imply any special consideration for high-energy physics. In the recent past high-energy physics support has amounted to somewhere between 5 and 6% of the support of all basic science, from federal, state and industrial sources; the panel does not plead for any substantial change of this percentage. It should be observed that the tightening of the budgets for high-energy physics in the last four years (see Table I and figures 2 and 3 of Chapter III) has had a considerably negative effect on the scientific productivity of this field in the United States. The panel considers it of utmost importance for the health of this fundamental field of science, that the funding of the existing laboratories be increased in the very near future according to the recommendations of this report. Very sincerely yours, Vien F. Weissf Victor F. Weisskopf VFW/ka Enclosure |