University of California, Davis
Cyclotrons and Their Design
This class is limited to 12 students. Preference will be given to participants who take their course for a grade (i.e. complete the homework and daily experiments, turn in a final project). A resume/CV and letter explaining why this course is important to your career are required by the instructors.
Tim Koeth, Brian Beaudoin and Kiersten Ruisard, University of Maryland; and Spencer Hartmann, UC Davis
Purpose and Audience
Cyclotrons are versatile accelerators whose use, because of an unsurpassed economic footprint, continues to expand in basic research, industry, medicine, and education. This course provides students with an introduction to the physics and technology of cyclotrons and their design. The level is suitable for graduate students and senior undergraduate students in physics and engineering as well as those associated with cyclotron operations.
Prerequisites
Students should have had Classical Mechanics and Electrodynamics at the junior level or higher.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they meet the course prerequisites or have equivalent experience.
Objectives
During the lectures, students will learn the theory and tools necessary to design a cyclotron. On completion of the course students are expected to understand the physical principles of modern cyclotrons, describe the technology of all major cyclotron subsystems, and be able to guide a cyclotron design.
Instructional Method
This course will be comprised of morning lectures and afternoon computer-based design labs. The lectures will cover cyclotron fundamentals. We will incorporate real life examples taken from operational cyclotrons. The afternoon labs will begin with a tutorial of the simulation tools to be used in the cyclotron design lab. One day will be devoted to a hands-on experiment at the UC Davis Crocker Cyclotron Laboratory. Assigned problem sets should be completed outside of scheduled class sessions. As a final project, students will design their own cyclotron.
Course Content
This course will cover theoretical and practical aspects of cyclotrons and their design. This includes magnetic resonance [cyclotron] acceleration, ion sources, weak and Azimuthally Varying Field (AVF) beam focusing, and beam extraction methods. Conventional and superconducting magnets and the measurements necessary for their design verification will be discussed. We will also include relevant technology of cyclotron radio frequency and vacuum systems. Limitations will also be discussed, such as resonances and space charge. Students will receive guidance and hands on experience with simulation tools in the design of their own cyclotron.
Reading Requirements
(To be provided by the USPAS) "Principles of Cyclic Particle Accelerators" (Van Nostrand, NJ, 1961) by John Jacob Livingood. Additional material will be provided by the instructors.
Credit Requirements
Students will be evaluated based on performance: final project (approximately 34% of grade) homework assignments (approximately 33% of grade), daily experiment/simulations (approximately 33% of grade).
UC Davis course number: 163EDN671 Advanced Topics
Indiana University course number: Physics 671, Advanced Topics in Accelerator Physics
Michigan State University course number: PHY 963, U.S. Particle Accelerator School
MIT course number: 8.790, Accelerator Physics