Published: 1987
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In this paper we report on the status of the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC), the prototype of a new generation of colliding beam accelerators. This novel type of machine holds the potential of extending electron-positron colliding beam studies to center-of-mass (c.m.) energies far in excess of what is economically achievable with colliding beam storage rings. If the technical challenges posed by linear colliders are solvable at a reasonable cost, this new approach would provide an attractive alternative to electron-positron rings, where, because of rapidly rising synchrotron radiation losses, the cost and size of the ring increases with the square of the c.m. energy. In addition to its role as a test vehicle for the linear collider principle, the SLC aims at providing an abundant source of Z° decays to high energy physics experiments. Accordingly, two major detectors, the upgraded Mark II, now installed on the SLC beam line, and the state-of-the-art SLD, currently under construction, are preparing to probe the Standard Model at the Z° pole. The SLC project was originally funded in 1983. Since the completion of construction, we have been commissioning the machine to bring it up to a performance level adequate for starting the high energy physics program. In the remainder of this paper, we will discuss the status, problems and performance of the major subsystems of the SLC. We will conclude with a brief outline of the physics program, and of the planned enhancements to the capabilities of the machine. 26 refs., 7 figs.