The science and technology of superconducting cavities for accelerators

Rapid advances in the performance of superconducting cavities have made RF superconductivity a key technology for accelerators that fulfil a variety of physics needs: high-energy particle physics, nuclear physics, neutron spallation sources and free-electron lasers. New applications are forthcoming for frontier high-energy physics accelerators, radioactive beams for nuclear astrophysics, next-generation light sources, intense proton accelerators for neutron and muon sources. There are now nearly one kilometre of superconducting cavities installed in accelerators around the world, providing more than 5 GV of acceleration. The most recent installation of 20 m for a free-electron laser realized an average gradient a factor of four higher than existing applications. improved understanding of the physics of RF superconductivity, together with advances in technology, are responsible for the spectacular increases in performance. RF superconductivity is a mature science going well beyond technological know-how and trial-and-error approaches to genuine understanding of the underlying physics. Research continues to push performance levels towards the theoretical limit, which is another factor of two higher than the levels yet achieved.