Why higher energies

A new generation of large electrostatic accelerators - with and without postaccelerators - opens up entirely new domains in nuclear science. Some of these are illustrated in this paper using examples drawn from work with the largest existing facilities. These examples have been chosen, in part, to emphasize some of the unique features of the electrostatic accelerators; these include: dc beams, high energy resolution, rapid and convenient energy variability, flexibility in selection of beam species ranging from the lighest to the heaviest ions, low beam emittance, and high precision