Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Research 2019 - 2040: A community-driven UK roadmap compiled by the Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Steering Committee (PWASC)

Bernhard Hidding, Simon Hooker, Steven Jamison, Bruno Muratori, Christopher Murphy, Zulfikar Najmudin, Rajeev Pattathil, Gianluca Sarri, Matthew Streeter, Carsten Welsch, Matthew Wing, Guoxing Xia

Research output: Working paperPreprint

Abstract

The acceleration gradients generated in a laser- or beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator are typically three orders of magnitude greater than those produced by a conventional accelerator, and hence plasma accelerators can open a route to a new generation of very compact machines. In addition, plasma-based accelerators can generate beams with unique properties, such as tens of kiloamp peak currents, attosecond bunch duration, ultrahigh brightness and intrinsic particle beam-laser pulse synchronization. In this roadmap we review the status of plasma accelerator research in the UK. We outline potential applications, describe the research and development required to enable those applications, and discuss synergies with related areas of research. We also set-out the resources required to realise these ambitions and provide a timeline for advances in the key areas.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages38
Publication statusPublished - 19 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • physics.acc-ph
  • physics.app-ph
  • physics.optics
  • physics.plasm-ph

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