"If the mountain cannot come to the accelerator..."
The recent Snowmass and Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) studies have converged at a new decadal plan for US particle physics. Many of the specific goals focus on detecting rare events or interactions. Examples are elucidating the mystery of the neutrinos and searching for direct evidence of new particles. In this talk, I present the IsoDAR experiment as an example of how we can shift the paradigm of how we do such rare searches through bringing intense accelerator-driven sources close to ultra-large detectors in a low background environments deep underground. I will describe the exciting physics opportunities this affords us, how they mesh with P5 goals, and what instrumentation is needed to run such an experiment. I will explain in detail my work on a novel compact high-current cyclotron that forms the heart of the IsoDAR experiment, and briefly touch on the use of machine learning in the design process. This accelerator built for particle physics can also substantially impact society through medical isotope production and fusion research, thus IsoDAR is positioned to address challenges associated with the P5 goals, as well as those that face society at large.
