Summary of Working Group 1: Laser-Plasma Wakefield Acceleration

Abstract

Advances in and the physics of the acceleration of electrons and positrons using underdense plasma structures driven by lasers were the topics of presentations and discussions in Working Group 1. Such accelerators have demonstrated gradients several orders beyond conventional machines, with quasi-monoenergetic beams at MeV-GeV energies, making them attractive candidates for next generation accelerators and photon sources. The status, future direction, and research outlook are summarized and references given to group presentations.