Challenges in future linear colliders

For decades, electron-positron colliders have been complementing proton-proton colliders. But the circular LEP, the largest e-e+ collider, represented an energy limit beyond which energy losses to synchrotron radiation necessitate moving to e-e+ linear colliders (LCs), thereby raising new challenges for accelerator builders. Japanese-American, German, and European collaborations have presented options for the Future Linear Collider (FLC). Key accelerator issues for any FLC option are the achievement of high enough energy and luminosity. Damping rings, taking advantage of the phenomenon of synchrotron radiation, have been developed as the means for decreasing beam size, which is crucial for ensuring a sufficiently high rate of particle-particle collisions. Related challenges are alignment and stability in an environment where even minute ground motion can disrupt performance, and the ability to monitor beam size. The technical challenges exist within a wider context of socioeconomic and political challenges, likely necessitating continued development of international collaboration among parties involved in accelerator-based physics