Interaction of Intense Charged Particle Beams with Electric and Magnetic Fields

Course Number: 
NE 290H
Course Units: 
3

Catalog Description

  • Comprehensive introduction to charged particle accelerator systems with high space charge intensity. Provides a foundation for research and design of systems with intensities sufficiently high so that mutual interactions of the particles in a beam focused and accelerated by applied electric and magnetic fields can not be neglected. Methodologies systematically developed by applying dynamics, electromagnetic theory, and plasma physics. Appropriate for students in engineering and physics.  Offered odd-numbered years.

Course Prerequisites

  • Required: Undergraduate level dynamics and electromagnetic theory
  • Recommended: Basic plasma physics

Course Objectives

  • Give the student a broad overview of the dynamics of charged particle beams with strong space charge.
  • Emphasize on theoretical and analytical methods of describing the acceleration and transport of beams.
  • Familiarize students with standard methods employed to understand the transverse and longitudinal evolution of beams with strong space charge.
  • Provide a foundation to design practical architectures.

Topics covered

  • Particle equations of motion, the paraxial ray equation and the Vlasov equation
  • 4-D and 2-D equilibrium distribution functions (such as the Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij, thermal equilibrium, and Neuffer distributions), reduced moment and envelope equation formulations of beam evolution
  • Transport limits and focusing methods
  • The concept of emittance and the calculation of its growth from mismatches in beam envelope and from space-charge non-uniformities using system conservation constraints
  • The role of space-charge in producing beam halos; longitudinal space-charge effects including small amplitude and rarefaction waves
  • Stable and unstable oscillation modes of beams (including envelope and kinetic modes)
  • The role of space charge in the injector
  • Algorithms to calculate space-charge effects in a range of numerical simulations from simple moment models to particle-in-cell methods for Vlasov distribution modeling

Class schedule

  • Three hours of lecture per week