Multi-disciplinary Applications of Plasma-based Accelerators | Enrica Chiadroni

Plasma-based accelerators have emerged as one of the most promising technologies for next-generation particle acceleration, offering accelerating gradients orders of magnitude higher than those achievable in conventional radio-frequency structures. This talk will present an overview of the multi-disciplinary impact of plasma-based accelerators, spanning fundamental research, technological innovation, and broadband applications. It will first review recent advancements in plasma accelerator technology, improved control of beam quality, staging concepts, and enhanced stability and reproducibility. These developments are paving the way toward compact, high-gradient accelerators capable of delivering high-brightness, high-energy particle beams. A major focus will be on radiation sources enabled by plasma acceleration, such as compact X-ray and gamma-ray sources, and betatron radiation. These sources hold strong potential for applications in ultrafast science, materials characterization, and medical imaging. The talk will also highlight innovative plasma-based ancillary components for particle accelerators, including active plasma lenses for strong, symmetric focusing; plasma-based bending and beam manipulation concepts; and novel beam matching and transport solutions. These elements represent transformative tools for reducing size and complexity in accelerator systems.