Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2019-2020)

The International Linear Collider (ILC) is the next proposed world facility to study subatomic physics at the energy frontier. The ILC is an electron positron collider with collision energy of 500 GeV initially, with the possibility for a later upgrade to 1 TeV. The strong scientific justification is that the ILC would complement the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Particle physicists are convinced that the ILC will be essential for a better understanding of subatomic physics in the post-LHC era. The ILC with its precision measurements would supplement LHC physics, shedding more light on the recent discovery of the Higgs boson as well as on the future LHC discoveries likely to be made in the coming years. Encompassing many years of globally coordinated R&D effort for the construction of both the accelerator and detectors for physics at ILC, a Technical Design Report (TDR) was prepared by the ILC community. The TDR contains all needed information for the host nation to make a decision on the ILC approval. In the context of the ILC to be hosted in Japan, the decision is expected by 2018, with a call for experiments at ILC shortly thereafter. The applicants for this NSERC Project Grant have been members of the International Large Detector (ILD), one of two approved ILC detector concept groups working toward the final design and construction of the ILC experiments. A critical design goal for ILC detectors is excellent charged particle tracker resolution for energetic leptons from events with a Higgs boson. A large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC) will be used as the main tracker for the ILD. Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) are being developed for the ILD TPC readout to achieve its demanding 100-micron transverse resolution goal for all track hits in the 4.7m long TPC. Canadians have been among the leaders in ILD TPC R&D from the very beginning and their contribution has been internationally recognized. The development of a new charge dispersion MPGD readout concept by the proponents led the Micromegas modules instrumented with a resistive layer to become an option being developed for the ILD TPC readout. During the last grant cycle, beam tests with a 1-m prototype at DESY demonstrated that the MPGD TPC equipped with the resistive layer readout could achieve the resolution goals specified in the TDR. The proposed two-year grant will enable us to finalize our existing commitments for the TPC R&D, in time for the ILC approval and to allow the synchronization of the participation in ILD with other Canadian groups engaged in calorimetry R&D for ILC. At this stage of the project, a continued maintenance of the ILD TPC effort is vital to ensure an active participation of Canada in the ILC, if it is going to be approved by the Japanese Government. The ILC is strongly supported by the international particle physics community and by the recently completed Canadian Subatomic Physics Long Range Plan 2017-2021.