Center for Accelerator Science and Technology at MIT -- A New Initiative

MIT is proposing to establish a new interdisciplinary Center for Accelerator Science and Technology (CAST) led by faculty from across the Schools of Science and Engineering that would carry out frontier R{\&}D and have a strong educational program. The initial research focus includes development of technologies relevant to major accelerator initiatives such as the JLab 12 GeV Upgrade, RHIC II, e-RHIC, the ILC, and a laser-seeded FEL light source. The MIT Bates Linear Accelerator Center, which will soon complete its role as a nuclear physics user facility, is foreseen as the major laboratory focus for CAST. The facility staff and polarized injector, electron accelerator and the South Hall storage ring are outstanding resources for investigating important problems in accelerator science and the facility provides a premier test facility for training students. The CAST proposal may be found at the URL: \href{http://www2.lns.mit.edu/cast/}{http://www2.lns.mit.edu/cast/}.