Advanced accelerator research promises to improve the power and efficiency of today's particle accelerators, enhancing applications in medicine and high-energy physics, and providing potential benefits for research in materials, biological and energy science. FACET—Facilities for Accelerator Science and Experimental Test Beams at SLAC—will study plasma acceleration, using short, intense pulses of electrons and positrons to create an acceleration source called a plasma wakefield accelerator.

Plasma wakefield acceleration is one of the most promising approaches to advancing accelerator technology. This approach offers a potential 1,000-fold or more increase in acceleration over a given distance, compared to existing accelerators.