- Start
- Dec 31, 203350% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Electron-Ion Collider Construction
- The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, reusing infrastructure of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), which has operated since 2000, with a new electron storage ring and accelerator components[2][3]
- It will collide polarized high-energy electrons with polarized protons and atomic nuclei to study the strong nuclear force, including where the proton gets its spin and mass[2][3]
- DOE granted Critical Decision 1 on 6 July 2021, after CD-0 in December 2019; total cost is expected at $1.7-2.8 billion, with about $100 million of New York State funding for infrastructure[3]
- In April 2024 DOE approved Critical Decision 3A, allowing long-lead procurements such as superconducting wire, cryogenic equipment, the solenoid, crystals and substations[2]
- Schedule has moved: the 2021 release expected construction to begin in 2024, while the 2024 CERN Courier says it is scheduled to enter construction in 2026 with operations in the first half of the next decade[2][3]
- Jefferson Lab is a major partner; the user group exceeds 1,500 physicists, and France (DOE-CNRS statement of interest) and the UK (GBP 58.8 million) have announced contributions[2][3]
References 367% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]50%youtube.com/watch?v=n_cqgL2UZFkyoutube.com· Posted Sep 14, 2026· Starts Dec 31, 2033 ✓· 54% of score
A target, per the source: the collider is "expected to become operational in the early to mid-2030s".
- [2]85%EIC steps towards construction – CERN Couriercerncourier.com· Published Mar 1, 2026· 25% of score
CERN Courier's own headline, 'EIC steps towards construction,' published March 2026, tracks the same progress toward the collider's targeted early-to-mid-2030s completion reflected in the pin's stored December 2033 date.
- [3]92%Electron-Ion Collider Achieves Critical Decision 1 Approval – U.S. Department of Energyenergy.gov· Published Jan 1, 2026· 20% of score
The U.S. Department of Energy's own headline reports the Electron-Ion Collider achieving 'Critical Decision 1 Approval,' a project milestone consistent with the pin's stored construction timeline toward an early-to-mid-2030s operational date.
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