Research and Development of Wires and Cables for High-Field Accelerator Magnets

The latest strategic plans for high energy physics endorse steadfast superconducting magnet technology R&D for future energy frontier facilities. This includes 10 to 16 T Nb3Sn accelerator magnets for the luminosity upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider and eventually for a future 100 TeV-scale proton-proton (pp) collider. This paper describes the multi-decade R&D investment in the Nb3Sn superconductor technology, which was crucial to produce the first reproducible 10 to 12 T accelerator-quality dipoles and quadrupoles, as well as their scale-up. We also indicate prospective research areas in superconducting Nb3Sn wires and cables to achieve the next goals for superconducting accelerator magnets. Emphasis is on increasing performance and decreasing costs while pushing the Nb3Sn technology to its limits for future pp colliders.