U.S. Particle Accelerator School
U.S. Particle Accelerator School
America's National School of Accelerator Science and Technology

Accelerator Physics

Sponsoring University:
Michigan State University

Course Name:
Accelerator Physics
This class is full.

Instructors:
S. Alex Bogacz, Jefferson Lab; Geoff Krafft, Old Dominion University and Jefferson Lab; Subashini De Silva, Old Dominion University and Isurumali Neththikumara, Jefferson Lab


Purpose and Audience
Accelerator and beam physics is a broad discipline that draws on concepts from linear and nonlinear mechanics, electrodynamics, special relativity, plasma physics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. The applications of particle accelerators are equally far ranging, including high-energy and nuclear physics, energy production, chemistry, materials and biological sciences, and medicine. This course will survey the fundamental concepts of accelerator physics that represent areas of current research and development. Typically, a topic first will be discussed abstractly and then applied to a specific facility or device.  This course is designed for graduate students and researchers in physics or engineering who want to learn in more detail about the basic physics of accelerators.

Prerequisites

Courses in classical mechanics, electrodynamics, special relativity and physical or engineering mathematics, all at entrance graduate level are required; and the USPAS course Fundamentals of Accelerator Physics and Technology with Simulations and Measurements Lab or equivalent familiarity is recommended.

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

Objectives
On completion of this course, the students are expected to understand the physical principles that make accelerators function, the limits of present technologies, the promise of future technologies, and the issues presented by forefront applications.

Instructional Method
This course includes a series of lectures and exercise sessions. Daily homework problems will be assigned which will be graded and solutions will be provided and reviewed in the exercise sessions. Instructors will be available for guidance during evening homework sessions.

Course Content
Acceleration principles, transverse and longitudinal stability, multipole magnets, beam transport and lattice design, fundamentals of RF cavities, coupled betatron motion, synchrotron radiation, space charge, radiation damping and low emittance lattices, collective and beam-beam effects, phase-space cooling, free-electron lasers, energy recovering linacs.

Reading Requirements
(to be provided by the USPAS) Particle Accelerator Physics (Fourth Edition) by Helmut Wiedemann, Springer, 2015. A pdf of this book is available for free at https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319183169.

Perspective students can prepare for the course in advance and/or evaluate the fit of the course to their goals by reviewing the materials in the last version of the course given in the winter 2020 USPAS session: https://casa.jlab.org/publications/USPAS_Jan_2020.shtml

Credit Requirements
Students will be evaluated based on the following performances: Homework assignments (40% course grade), Midterm exam (20% course grade), Final exam (40% course grade).

USPAS Computer Requirements
There will be no Computer Lab and all participants are required to bring their own portable computer to access online course notes and computer resources. This can be a laptop or a tablet with a sufficiently large screen and keyboard. Windows, Mac, and Linux-based systems that are wifi capable and have a standard web browser and mouse are all acceptable. You should have privileges for software installs. If you are unable to bring a computer, please contact uspas@fnal.gov ASAP to request a laptop loan. Very limited IT support and spare loaner laptops will be available during the session.


Michigan State University course number: PHY 963 US Particle Accelerator School, Section 701 Accelerator Physics
Indiana University course number: Physics 570, Introduction to Accelerator Physics
MIT course number: 8.790, Accelerator Physics