Solving Big Problems With Small Accelerators: From Colliders to Medical Devices Based on Laser Plasma Accelerators

Dr. Wim Leemans of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will discuss the progress on building laser powered, plasma based particle accelerators where electrons surf on waves and can reach energy levels in a few inches that would conventionally require machines multiple football fields long. Although many challenges remain, this new technology is at the brink of offering a profoundly different way to build futureparticle colliders or medical devices.