US particle-physics strategy likely to be hindered by budget

Nature : On 22 May the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5), an advisory group for the US Department of Energy, released its first report since 2008. According to the report, the panel’s biggest concern is maintaining the US’s position at the forefront of particle physics despite collider shutdowns and tightening budgets. The panel strongly encourages continued US participation in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and the proposed International Linear Collider. The report also recommends turning the proposed Long Baseline Neutrino Facility at Fermilab into a large-scale international project. However, of the three budget possibilities P5 considered, its worst-case scenario is significantly better than President Obama’s proposed FY 2015 budget, which would see a 6.8% decrease in funding to high-energy physics.