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With unanswered questions regarding the Higgs boson remaining, no signs of physics beyond the standard model and the end of the Large Hadron Collider programme in sight, plans for the next big collider are gaining momentum. There are several designs for future particle accelerators, each with its strengths and challenges. In a series of Comments, we explore the technologies for circular, linear and plasma wakefield accelerators.
Michael Benedikt and Frank Zimmermann describe the Future Circular Collider, a proposed collider-based research infrastructure that can be realized in successive steps.
Oliver Brüning and Lucio Rossi discuss an upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), which aims to significantly increase the luminosity.
Shinichiro Michizono describes the International Linear Collider, a proposed 250 GeV electron–positron collider using superconducting radiofrequency technology.
Edda Gschwendtner and Patric Muggli discuss the concept of plasma wakefield acceleration and its potential for future particle colliders and other applications.
We examine the arguments for and against building the next big particle collider and explore the technologies for different future particle accelerator projects.