Open, global collaboration in particle physics

The building blocks of matter and the forces between them were and are of central interest for physicists. The LHC project at CERN will create matter and observe it as it existed very close to the violent developments immediately after the big bang. An order of magnitude closer to the big bang than any other such undertaking scientists hope to solve some of the mysteries of our universe such as the origin of mass, insights into dark matter and more comprehensive theories about matter.
This requires apparatus of unprecedented complexity, invented, elaborated, built, operated and exploited by global collaborations over decades and served by global e-infrastructures, also produced in the context.
Common clear objectives, mutual respect, complete sharing of all available knowledge, know-how, and necessary technologies within the collaborations, critical mass, flat hierarchies, rigorous quality assurance and the pledge of best efforts by the participating scientific institutes and funding agencies are the important ingredients of such collaborations. They are brought to life by a continuous, (self-) structured and “accessible to all” communication at all levels.
The validation of personal contributions and the duration of the process are obvious difficulties for participating and often young scientists.
The collaborative model presented can be applied to other large efforts and great challenges where immediate gainful applications are not the first priority.

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