TWAC - THz Wave Accelerating Cavity for ultrafast science

Particle accelerators are devices of primary importance in a large range of applications such as fundamental particle physics, nuclear physics, light sources, imaging, neutron sources, transmutation of nuclear waste. They are also used every day for cargo inspection, medical diagnostics and radiotherapy worldwide. Electron is the easiest particle to produce and manipulate, resulting in an unequaled energy over cost ratio. However, there is an urgent and growing need to reduce the footprint of accelerators in order to lower their cost and environmental impact. We propose developing a new structure sustaining the accelerating wave pushing up the particle energy, which will enable democratizing the access to femtosecond-scale electron bunch for ultrafast phenomena studies. This light and compact accelerator based on its size and weight will for example enable it to be mounted on a robotic arm, to move around a patient for medical applications or material inspection for industrial applications.