Advanced Accelerator Concepts: From Birth to High Impact Science

This recounting of the history of the last three-and a-half decades of advanced accelerator concepts is offered from a decidedly parochial point of view - that of the career of the author, Prof. James Rosenzweig of the UCLA Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. This short voyage through a by-now long career will illustrate the very beginning of the compelling field of advanced accelerators, proceed through their maturation into one of the fastest growing areas of beam-based science, and give a look into their emerging importance in applications. An important aspect of advanced accelerators is their relationship to other burgeoning fields, particularly free-electron lasers. The framework of this retelling lends itself particularly well to illustrating this relationship. Likewise, this quick summary serves to demonstrate the essential team nature of our field, and the contributions of participants from all levels, ranging from students to those scientists whose careers may have developed in previous eras of positive ferment in accelerator science.