Evolution of scientific instruments - methodology of inventiveness in applications to accelerators and beyond

Evolution of scientific instruments, not only those based on our familiar and conventional accelerator technology, will be discussed in this talk in the framework of the methodology of inventiveness, and will be contrasted with the predictions made in the middle of the previous century. Armed with the general laws of evolution of scientific instruments, we will attempt to predict how the accelerator-based instruments, which we develop now, will evolve and how they will look like in the middle of our century.

We will in particular focus on discussion of compact X-ray sources, based on plasma acceleration technology. We will touch on the state of the art and some of the advanced ideas, and also discuss several key underlying physics concepts, providing the audience with simple back-of-the-envelope estimations and explanations of their most relevant parameters.

Plasma Wakefield Acceleration at SLAC: what have we learned and what is ahead

Experiments using the high intensity 20 GeV electron and positron beams in the FACET Facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have produced a number of exceptional results. High efficiency acceleration of electrons, regimes for high-gradient acceleration of positrons and the generation of high-brightness beams through injection mechanisms will be

discussed. GeV/m beam driven wakefields have also been measured in dielectric wakefield accelerator structures. For five years FACET operated as a National User Facility delivering unique beams to a diverse community of users. These exciting experiments have been mounted by a group of accelerator, laser, and plasma researchers from national laboratories and universities. This presentation will review the history of these experiments, the current program at FACET and plans for the future at FACET-II.