42 U.S.C. § 18643 — High-energy physics

(a) Sense of Congress — This is a statement of Congress's opinion, not a binding rule. Congress states that: (1) the Director^* should build the Particle Physics Project^* Prioritization Panel's findings and recommendations — from its report "Building for Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the Global Context" — into the Department's planning process; and (2) nations that lead in particle physics by hosting international research teams working toward a shared scientific goal attract the world's best talent and inspire future physicists and technologists.

(b) Program — As part of the activities authorized under section 7139, the Director must carry out a research program in elementary particle physics and advanced technology research and development, to improve understanding of the fundamental properties of the universe, including the constituents of matter and energy and the nature of space and time.

(c) High energy frontier research — As part of the program in (b), the Director must carry out research using high-energy accelerators and advanced detectors — including ones that function as national user facilities — to create and study interactions of elementary particles and investigate fundamental forces.

(d) International collaboration — The Director must: (1) as practicable, and coordinating with other appropriate federal agencies as needed, ensure U.S. researchers can access the world's most advanced accelerator facilities and research capabilities, including the Large Hadron Collider; (2) to the maximum extent practicable, keep leveraging U.S. participation in the Large Hadron Collider, and prioritize expanding international partnerships and investments in the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment; and (3) to the maximum extent practicable, prioritize engaging in collaborative efforts supporting future international facilities that would give U.S. researchers access to the world's most advanced accelerator facilities.

(e) Neutrino research — The Director must carry out research on rare decay processes and the nature of the neutrino, which may include collaborations with the National Science Foundation or international partners.

(f) Cosmic frontier research — The Director must carry out research on the nature of the primary contents of the universe, including dark energy and dark matter. To the maximum extent practicable, this must be consistent with research priorities identified by the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel or the National Academy of Sciences, and may include (1) collaborations with NASA, the National Science Foundation, or international partners, and (2) developing space-based, land-based, water-based, and underground facilities and experiments.

(g) Facility construction and major items of equipment

(1) Projects — Consistent with the Office of Science's project management practices^*, and to the maximum extent practicable incorporating the findings and recommendations of the 2014 Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) report "Building for Discovery," the Director must support construction or fabrication of: (A) an international Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility based in the United States; (B) the Proton Improvement Plan II; (C) Second Generation Dark Matter experiments; (D) the Legacy Survey of Space and Time camera; (E) upgrades to detectors and other components of the Large Hadron Collider; (F) the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 project; and (G) other high-priority projects recommended in the most recent Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel report.

(2) Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility — (A) The Secretary^* must support building this facility, to support the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, in order to examine the fundamental properties of neutrinos, explore physics beyond the Standard Model, and better clarify the existence and nature of antimatter. (B) The Secretary must ensure the facility provides, at minimum: (i) a neutrino beam with wideband capability of 1.2 megawatts of beam power, upgradable to 2.4 megawatts; (ii) 3 caverns excavated for a 70-kiloton fiducial detector plus supporting surface buildings and utilities; and (iii) cryogenic systems to support the neutrino detectors. (C) Subject to available appropriations, the Secretary must ensure it is fully operating before December 31, 2031. (D) Out of the funds authorized under subsection (k), Congress authorizes for construction: $180,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; $255,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; $305,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; $305,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and $305,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.

(3) Proton Improvement Plan–II accelerator upgrade project — (A) The Secretary must support building this upgrade to the Fermilab accelerator complex, identified in the 2014 P5 report, to give the international Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility the world's most intense neutrino beam and to support future high-energy physics experiments, working with international partners to expand the project's capabilities. (B) The Secretary must ensure the facility provides, at minimum: (i) a state^*-of-the-art 800-megaelectron-volt superconducting linear accelerator; (ii) proton beam power of 1.2 megawatts at the start of LBNF/DUNE, upgradeable to 2.4 megawatts; (iii) a flexible design enabling high-power beam delivery to multiple users simultaneously, with customized beams for specific scientific needs; and (iv) sustained, highly reliable operation of the Fermilab accelerator complex. (C) Subject to available appropriations, the Secretary must ensure it is fully operating before December 31, 2028. (D) Out of the funds authorized under subsection (k), Congress authorizes: $130,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; $115,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.

(4) Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 — (A) The Secretary, partnering with the Director of the National Science Foundation, must support building this project, to survey the cosmic microwave background and test theories of cosmic inflation, as described in the 2014 P5 report. (B) The Secretary must consult with the private sector, institutions of higher education, National Laboratories, and relevant federal agencies to ensure the project can meet federal research needs in accessing the ultra-high-energy physics of inflation and important neutrino properties. (C) To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary must ensure the facility provides, at minimum, 500,000 superconducting detectors on an array of millimeter-wave telescopes, with the frequency range, sensitivity, and survey speed needed to enable a tenfold advance in observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background, delivering transformative discoveries in fundamental physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. (D) Subject to available appropriations, the Secretary must ensure it is fully operating before December 31, 2030. (E) Out of the funds authorized under subsection (k), Congress authorizes for construction: $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.

(h) Accelerator and detector upgrades — The Director must upgrade accelerator facilities and detectors, as necessary and appropriate, to increase beam power, sustain high reliability, and improve precision measurement, in order to advance the highest-priority particle physics research programs. In doing this, the Director must keep working with international partners, when appropriate and in the United States' interest, to leverage investments and expertise in critical technologies for building and upgrading these facilities.

(i) Accelerator and detector research and development — As part of the program in subsection (b), the Director must carry out research and development in particle beam physics, accelerator science and technology, and particle and radiation detection relevant to the specific needs of the High Energy Physics program, coordinating with the Accelerator Research and Development program authorized under section 18648.

(j) Underground science — The Director must: (1) support an underground science program consistent with the Department's missions and the High Energy Physics program's scientific needs — including those in the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel's most recent report — that uses the capabilities of relevant underground science and engineering facilities; (2) run a competitive grant program awarding scientists and engineers at institutions of higher education, nonprofit institutions, and National Laboratories to conduct underground science and engineering research; and (3) submit to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology a report inventorying underground mines in the United States that may be suitable for future underground science and engineering facilities, along with anticipated challenges in repurposing, repairing, siting, or constructing them.

(k) Authorization of appropriations — Out of the funds authorized for the Office of Science in a fiscal year, Congress authorizes the Secretary to carry out this section's activities: $1,159,520,000 for fiscal year 2023; $1,289,891,200 for fiscal year 2024; $1,428,284,672 for fiscal year 2025; $1,499,881,752 for fiscal year 2026; and $1,554,874,657 for fiscal year 2027.