Physics and Detectors at CLIC: CLIC Conceptual Design Report

This report describes the physics potential and experiments at a future multi-TeV e+e- collider based on the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) technology. The physics scenarios considered include precision measurements of known quantities as well as the discovery potential of physics beyond the Standard Model. The report describes the detector performance required at CLIC, taking into account the interaction point environment and especially beaminduced backgrounds. Two detector concepts, designed around highly granular calorimeters and based on concepts studied for the International Linear Collider (ILC), are described and used to study the physics reach and potential of such a collider. Detector subsystems and the principal engineering challenges are illustrated. The overall performance of these CLIC detector concepts is demonstrated by studies of the performance of individual subdetector systems as well as complete simulation studies of six benchmark physics processes. These full detector simulation and reconstruction studies include beaminduced backgrounds and physics background processes. After optimisation of the detector concepts and adopting the reconstruction algorithms the results show very efficient background rejection and clearly demonstrate the physics potential at CLIC in terms of precision mass and cross section measurements. Finally, an overview of future plans of the CLIC detector and physics study is given and a list of key detector R&D topics needed for detectors at CLIC is presented.