Introduction
The study of high energy physics, also known as particle physics, grew out of nuclear and cosmic ray physics in the 1950's, which measured the properties and interactions of fundamental particles at the highest energies (millions of electron-volts or "MeV") then available with a relatively new technology: particle accelerators.
Today that technology has advanced so that forefront particle accelerators produce exquisitely controlled beams with energies of trillions of electron-volts ("TeV") and intense enough to melt metal. The science has advanced with the technology to study ever-higher energies and very rare phenomena that probe the smallest dimensions we can see and tell us about the very early history of our universe.
While the science has revolutionized our understanding of how the universe works, elements of the technology have helped transform other fields of science, medicine, and even everyday life. The science and its impacts will be remembered as one of the highlights of the history of the late 20th century.
But science is not content to rest on its achievements, and high energy physics is poised to make new discoveries that may well remake our world and our understanding of it in the 21st century. The challenge of the HEP program is to exploit those scientific opportunities that appear most promising while maintaining diverse efforts that allow for the unexpected discoveries which are a hallmark of scientific inquiry.
The High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP), consisting of leading members of the high energy physics community, provides advice to the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation on a continuing basis regarding the direction and management of the national high energy physics research program.
