Engines Of Discovery: A Century Of Particle Accelerators

by Andrew Sessler, Edmund Wilson

Overview

This book for the first time chronicles the development of particle accelerators from the invention of electrostatic accelerators, linear accelerators, and the cyclotron to the colliders of today. It also addresses accelerators employed as sources of x-rays, for medical purposes, and in industrial applications. The book identifies the crucial discoveries in applied physics and engineering that have driven the field and gives the reader insight into the people who made these discoveries as well as the methods they used. Particle accelerators exploit every aspect of today's cutting edge technology to the full and they themselves have contributed to these technologies. It is a saga every bit as fascinating as man's mastery of transport and communications a century before and from which we have much to learn for the future. Thus, the book should appeal to the general public, scientists, and students.The field of accelerator physics is, at this time, a very active field. The governments of developed and developing countries spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on particle physics research — a pure science with important implications for the understanding of not only particle physics, but also astronomy and cosmology. At the same time there is much activity in developing light sources and spallation neutron sources — both employed for extensive studies in surface science, chemistry, biology, and medicine. There is also large commercial activity in producing accelerators for industrial and medical use.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789812700704
Publisher:	World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/04/2007
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Preface     v
Introduction     xi
Electrostatic Accelerators     1
Scientific Motivation     1
Voltage Multiplying Columns     4
Silk Belts     5
Wisconsin Advances     6
Tandems     8
Commercial Production of Electrostatic Machines     9
Applications of Electrostatic Machines     9
Cyclotrons     11
The Anatomy of a Discovery     11
Lawrence and the Early Cyclotrons     14
Transverse Focusing     18
Relativistic Limitation     19
Calutrons     19
Cyclotrons for Peace Again     21
FFAG     22
Spiral Sector Cyclotrons     23
Modern Cyclotrons     26
Applications     26
Linear Accelerators     28
Science Motivation - An Idea in Search of a Technology     28
The Early Linear Accelerators at Berkeley     30
Proton Linacs     30
Electron Linacs     34
Heavy Ion Linacs - a Rich Field of Research     42
Induction Linacs     44
Applications of Induction Linacs     46
Betatrons     49
Early History     50
The Kerst Betatron     51
The Wideroe Betatron - Second Attempt     51
The Years After World War II     53
Synchrotrons     55
Science Motivation     55
The Early History of the Synchrotron     55
First Synchrotron     56
Electron Synchrotrons     56
Early Proton Synchrotrons     56
Nimrod and Phasotron     60
Strong Focusing     60
Brookhaven's AGS and CERN's PS     64
Fermilab and SPS     67
Superconducting Magnets     75
Colliders     78
Science Motivation     78
Principles     78
Electron-Electron Colliders     81
Electron-Positron Colliders     81
Superconducting Cavities     90
Proton-Proton Colliders     91
Proton-Antiproton Colliders     94
Asymmetric Collider Rings     97
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)     103
Heavy-Ion Colliders     107
Detectors     110
Early Primitive Detectors     110
Scintillators, Photomultipliers and Cerenkov Counters     110
Collisions in Three Dimensions     111
A Modern Detector     115
Digital X-ray Imaging     117
Detection Techniques for Synchrotron Radiation Sources     119
Synchrotron Radiation Sources     121
Scientific Motivation     121
Principles and Early History     122
Synchrotron Radiation     123
First Generation Synchrotron Sources     123
Second Generation Synchrotron Sources     123
Third Generation Synchrotron Sources     124
Angstrom Wavelength Free Electron Laser Facilities     128
Future Fourth Generation Synchrotron Sources     132
Cancer Therapy Accelerators     134
Cyclotrons     134
Linacs     135
Synchrotrons     136
Other Therapies     138
Future Facilities     138
Past, Present and Future     140
Future Needs     140
Linear Colliders and Their Origins     141
The International Linear Collider (ILC)     144
The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC)     146
Spallation Neutron Sources     148
Rare Isotope Accelerators     151
Neutrino Super Beams, Neutrino Factories and Muon Colliders      153
Accelerators for Heavy Ion Fusion and for Creating High Energy Density Plasmas     157
Proton Drivers for Power Reactors     160
Lasers and Plasmas     161
A Final Word     166
Understanding the Universe     166
Applications     166
Bringing Nations Together     166
A Word Especially for the Young     168
Appendices
Bibliography and References     169
The Accelerator Community     174
Glossary     175
List of Illustrations with Acknowledgments     184
Index     189