U.S. Particle Accelerator School
Radiation Physics, Regulation and Management course
Sponsoring University:
Indiana University
Course:
Radiation Physics, Regulation and Management
Instructors:
J. Donald Cossairt, FNAL and Scott Schwahn, TJNAF
Radiation safety is intricately correlated with the design, operation, reliability and performance of accelerators. In this course, the basic features of radiation protection and prevention will be discussed. This course is designed for accelerator engineers, people entering the field of radiation physics or pursuing continued education credit by the American Academy of Health Physics.
Radiation physics for personnel and environmental protection at accelerators will be presented in this course. The composition of accelerator radiation fields for electron, proton, and ion accelerators at all energies will be reviewed extensively. Building upon this basic information, the methods of designing radiation shielding at accelerators will be presented. Specific attention will be devoted to low-energy neutron phenomena that are found at nearly all accelerators. The production of induced radioactivity in both accelerator components and environmental media will be discussed in detail. A discussion of radiation detection instrumentation that has been found to be particularly useful in understanding accelerator radiation fields will be included. Finally, a synopsis of the program elements of a successful accelerator radiation protection program will be given. The problems that accompany the course are designed to promote understanding of the theoretical material, foster the ability to solve problems related to accelerator radiation physics, and lead to an intuitive comprehension of radiation physics at accelerators. Prerequisites: Basic undergraduate background in physical science and a mathematical background at least through first-year undergraduate calculus. The American Academy of Health Physics has granted 32 Continuing Education Credits for this course.