The development of accelerators began in the 1930’s with a primary focus on nuclear physics. Since then, nuclear physics research benefited from continuously evolving technologies which have enabled higher energy and higher intensity accelerators for electron and ion beams.  I will give a brief overview of existing large accelerators as well as new accelerator projects being developed for nuclear physics research worldwide. The main focus of the talk will be on the challenges to develop and build a cost-efficient electron-ion collider (EIC). The current long range plan of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) emphasizes the new research opportunities enabled by colliding high-energy electron and ion beams at high luminosity and recommends the construction of such a collider as a high priority. Significant technology developments are required to achieve and eventually exceed an electron-nucleon collision luminosity of 10³³ cm^-2 s^-1. The major developments required to support a future EIC will be discussed. These are: high-energy high-current energy-recovery electron linacs, cost-efficient lattices to circulate electron beams of different energies, cooling techniques for high-energy hadron beams and how to maintain their polarization in a cascade of synchrotrons.

Argonne Physics Division Colloquium Schedule