U.S. Particle Accelerator School
U.S. Particle Accelerator School
Education in Beam Physics and Accelerator Technology

Measurement and Diagnostics of Short Bunches in Accelerators course

Sponsoring University:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Course:

Measurement and Diagnostics of Short Bunches in Accelerators

Instructor:

John Byrd, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


Purpose and Audience
This course provides an overview of diagnostic techniques for measuring short electron bunches in accelerators. The course is designed for senior undergraduate or graduate-level students pursuing accelerator physics as a career or accelerator engineers and physicists who desire to expand their knowledge.

Prerequisites
The USPAS course "Fundamentals of Accelerator Physics and Technology with Simulations and Measurements Lab" or equivalent experience.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they meet the course prerequisites or have equivalent experience.

Objectives
The objectives of this course are: 1) understanding of the accelerator physics of creating and maintaining short bunches in Linacs and storage rings, 2) understanding of the various forms of radiation from electron bunches such as coherent and incoherent synchrotron radiation, transition and diffraction radiation, 3) familiarity with several diagnostic instruments and techniques such as streak cameras, electro-optic sampling, coherent radiation interferometry, and fluctuations.

Instructional Method
This course includes a series of about 15 lectures (60 min each) during morning and early afternoon sessions, supplemented by 15 hrs. of exercise and assignment sessions with the instructor in the late afternoon.

Course Content
Over the past few years, the demand for shorter pulses from accelerators has increased dramatically. Linac-driven free electron lasers (FELs) have already demonstrated bunches well below 100 femtoseconds. Laser-plasma accelerators directly generate bunches believed to be less than 10 femtoseconds. Storage ring light sources have produced coherent radiation from picosecond bunches. High energy colliders are shortening bunches to increase luminosity. In response to this demand, several new diagnostics techniques to measure these bunches, or the radiation from these bunches, have been created or adopted from the ultrafast laser community. This course provides a survey of these measurement techniques, focusing on the principles. The course combines elements from accelerator physics, terahertz and ultrafast optical detectors, and laser technology.

Reading Requirements
Reading materials will be provided by the instructor.

Credit Requirements
Students will be evaluated based on performance: final exam (30% of final grade) and homework assignments (70% of final grade).

IU/USPAS course number P671