High field accelerator magnet R&D in Europe

The LHC magnet R&D program has shown that the limit of NbTi technology at 1.9 K was in the 10-to-10.5-T range. Hence, to go beyond the 10-T threshold, it is necessary to change the superconducting material. Given the state of the art in HTS, the only serious candidate is Nb3Sn. A series of dipole magnet models built at Twente University and LBNL as well as a vigorous program carried out at Fermilab have demonstrated the feasibility of Nb3S magnet technology. The next step is to bring this technology to maturity, which require further conductor and conductor insulation development and a simplification of manufacturing processes. After a brief history, we review ongoing R&D programs in Europe and we present the Next European Dipole (NED) initiative promoted by the European Steering Group on Accelerator RD (ESGARD).