The ICFA-supported workshop series on the Physics and Applications of High Brightness Beams is traditionally a meeting ground for discussion of high brightness beam production, manipulation, and acceleration in state-of-the-art systems ranging from cutting-edge RF accelerators, to very high-field plasma-based schemes. The resultant beams provide the underpinnings of new scientific instruments such as X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) and TeV-class linear colliders. The workshops also provide an essential opportunity to guide the full ecosystem of beam physicists along with the advanced user communities who utilize the newly emergent instruments arising from high brightness beam research. In the upcoming version of this workshop series, we will concentrate on a particularly compelling example of the burgeoning field of new instruments based on advanced, high-field accelerators and high brightness beams. This is the 5th generation light source, which seeks to merge two compelling new instruments – next-step, compact XFELs, and advanced, high-field accelerators. This merger has produced a hybrid field, which has by now many promising incarnations. The present workshop will concentrate on the physics of such systems, which are now proceeding towards realization using approaches ranging from cryogenic RF to wakefields in plasmas and structures. These initiatives are strongly motivated by synergistic application to the energy frontier, as 5th generation light sources may also be fruitfully seen as stepping stone projects which demonstrate beam physics feasibility issues needed to proceed to future linear colliders based on advanced concepts.
Such ambitions require a continuous re-examination of progress in the fields of high brightness beam physics, advanced acceleration, and their nexus in applications. This is precisely the mission accepted at this workshop, and we look forward to seeing you in this year’s meeting, taking place at the Kursaal venue in San Sebastian, Spain, June 19-23, 2023. This edition of the workshop will emphasize two emerging trends: first, the vital involvement in the development of the field through student and post-doctoral training through a dedicated half-day session sponsored by the NSF STC Center for Bright Beams); and the key involvement in the future user communities of 5th generation light sources.
We hope you will participate in this meeting, joining us for what is always a very stimulating and timely workshop.