Harnessing the tremendous electric fields produced by lasers to accelerate charged particles has long been a fantastic concept. Proposed in 1962 independently by researchers working on optical masers (Shimoda) and optical memory devices (Lohmann), the use of light to accelerate particles is now a demonstrated reality.

     With the physical principles proven, effort is now directed at developing methods that provide efficient, stable acceleration. There are three principle areas of research: developing phase-locked power-efficient lasers, developing robust photonic structures that strongly couple laser radiation to charged particles, and understanding how to integrate these components into a working accelerator.

     The DLA-2011 workshop is aimed at reviewing the work to date in these three major research areas, identifying the most promising R&D directions, and fostering new collaborations.

Workshop Charge

1. Identify the state-of-the-art in each field as it pertains to laser-driven particle acceleration
2. Outline general parameters for potential industrial, medical, compact light source, and linear collider applications
   1. Identify interface requirements between the accelerator, photonic devices, and laser systems in each case
   2. Identify critical parameters that make-or-break performance in each case
3. Identify key areas needing R&D, and sketch an R&D roadmap in each of the three subject areas
4. Increase awareness of efforts in adjacent disciplines, identify synergies, and grow collaborations between the accelerator physics, photonics, and laser R&D communities