HERA Improved Program
In the second half of 2000 a program to improve the performance of the HERA storage ring has started. Superconducting magnets have been installed close to the collision points, i.e. practically inside the detectors. They focus the beams to better than 0.1mm. Normal conducting magnets of a special design allow a fast separation of the electron and proton beams on both sides of the interaction points. These measures will lead to an improvement of the collision rate by a factor four.

In addition, the detectors have been modified to cope with the improved performance of the storage ring. As an example, a track detector based on Silicon technology has been installed in the center of the ZEUS detector (see figure). Is is designed to look for heavy quarks.

These measures will initiate a new phase of the experimental program: An improved search for new phenomena outside the standard model and a precise investigation of the mechanism of the joint electromagnetic and weak interactions.

The ZEUS Experiment with the new Silicon-Microvertex-Detector
The ZEUS Experiment with the new Silicon-Microvertex-Detector

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