Dielectric Wakefield Accelerators

Dielectric-structure-based wakefield acceleration provides a viable approach to achieving the luminosity, efficiency, and cost requirements of a future linear collider as well as future x-ray light sources. This technology is capable of accelerating electrons and positrons at the substantially high gradients needed. Important progress in the development of dielectric wakefield accelerators has been made both experimentally and theoretically in the past few years. In this article we provide an overview of the basics of dielectric wakefield acceleration and major developments to date.