Speaker
Description
After twenty five glorious years of discovery followed by detailed study of Quark Gluon Plasma, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL will cease its operation in 2025. An electron beam facility will be added to the accelerator complex - in partnership between BNL and Jefferson Lab - to convert the RHIC into a high-luminosity high-energy polarized electron-proton (-light ion) and -heavy ion collider - The Electron Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC will allow scientists an unprecedented study of the role of gluons in QCD, for example, to study of the partonic origin of mass and spin of a proton and it will allow (arguably) the cleanest way to explore existence of a novel form of gluon matter known as Color Glass Condensate (CGC) predicted in QCD. All of these together are critical to understanding mechanism of color confinement in QCD. At the highest energy the EIC also presents an opportunity to explore precision electroweak and beyond-the-Standard Model (SM) Physics complementary to the LHC. EIC will be built in the next ten years and will operate starting mid-2030's. An international electron-Proton Ion Collider (ePIC) detector collaboration is leading the design and construction of the detector. I will summarize the science and status of the EIC and outlook towards its realization.
