Advanced Accelerator Concepts: From Birth to High Impact Science

TL;DR

This paper reviews the history and development of advanced accelerator concepts over 30 years, highlighting their growth, applications, and interdisciplinary connections, especially with free-electron lasers.

Contribution

It provides a personal historical perspective on the evolution and significance of advanced accelerators, emphasizing their scientific and collaborative advancements.

Findings

Advanced accelerators have matured into a vital research area.

Strong connections exist between advanced accelerators and free-electron lasers.

The field's growth relies on diverse team contributions.

Abstract

This recounting of the history of the last three-and-a-half decades of advanced accelerator concepts is offered from a decidedly parochial point of view -- that of the career of the author, Prof. James Rosenzweig of the UCLA Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. This short voyage through a by-now long career will illustrate the very beginning of the compelling field of advanced accelerators, proceed through their maturation into one of the fastest growing areas of beam-based science, and give a look into their emerging importance in applications. An important aspect of advanced accelerators is their relationship to other burgeoning fields, particularly free-electron lasers. The framework of this retelling lends itself particularly well to illustrating this relationship. Likewise, this quick summary serves to demonstrate the essential team nature of our field, and the contributions of participants from all levels, ranging from students to those scientists whose careers may have developed in previous eras of positive ferment in accelerator science.