Scaling linear colliders to 5 TeV and above

Detailed designs exist at present for linear colliders in the 0.5–1.0 TeV center-of-mass energy range. For linear colliders driven by discrete rf sources (klystrons), the rf operating frequencies range from 1.3 GHz to 14 GHz, and the unloaded accelerating gradients from 21 MV/m to 100 MV/m. Except for the collider design at 1.3 GHz (TESLA) which uses superconducting accelerating structures, the accelerating gradients vary roughly linearly with the rf frequency. This correlation between gradient and frequency follows from the necessity to keep the ac “wall plug” power within reasonable bounds. For linear colliders at energies of 5 TeV and above, even higher accelerating gradients and rf operating frequencies will be required if both the total machine length and ac power are to be kept within reasonable limits. An rf system for a 5 TeV collider operating at 34 GHz is outlined, and it is shown that there are reasonable candidates for microwave tube sources which, together with rf pulse compression, are capable of supplying the required rf power. Some possibilities for a 15 TeV collider at 91GHz are briefly discussed.