Accelerator Physics

A collage of images from recent journal papers by members of the accelerator physics. Done by AI

About us

Along with our colleagues in Lancaster University's Engineering Department, the members of the Lancaster accelerator physics group are part of the Cockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology based at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus near Warrington, Cheshire. Particle accelerators are potent tools that lie at the heart of research into particle physics but also play significant roles in fields such as medicine and security and industrial processes. Wherever a beam of high-energy particles or light can be of use, particle accelerators offer a solution. We use our expertise from a range of backgrounds such as laser physics, particle physics and mathematical physics to develop new particle accelerator concepts, technologies and experiments. General enquiries regarding our work and opportunities for collaboration can be sent to the research group leader, Professor Steven Jamison.

Key Research

  • Laser driven acceleration in vacuum: bringing together non-linear optics, ultrafast lasers, millimetre-wave (THz) structures for acceleration and compression of electron beams
  • Using high energy electron beams from compact laser wakefield accelerators to study strong-field QED, such as creating electron-positron pairs from photon-photon collisions
  • Simulating the dynamics and interactions of polarised particle beams and investigating beam instabilities such as the micro-bunching instability in Free-Electron Lasers
  • Mathematical modelling of charged particle propagation and electromagnetic phenomena in plasmas, photonic structures and waveguides. In particular, by employing the tools of general relativity

PhD Opportunities

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Postgraduate Training

All postgraduate students in the accelerator physics group are members of theCockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology. The Cockcroft Institute runs a postgraduate education programme in accelerator science and technology, which is compulsory for its own PhD students and also available to students in other research groups and at other universities. The lectures are recorded to be webcast and archived. The lecture programme covers the basics of accelerator science and technology, including particle beam dynamics and magnet design as well as offering optional more-specialised lectures in topics such as Hamiltonian beam dynamics, free-electron lasers, radio frequency engineering and laser plasma acceleration. All of our PhD students complete a number of assessments covering the Cockcroft Institute introductory course syllabus and are given the opportunity to carry out computational laboratory exercises using computational tools such as CST Microwave Studio, OPERA and MADX, to design RF cavities, magnets and particle beamlines, respectively. Depending on the nature of the PhD topic being covered, our students may also attend some of the graduate training offered by our colleagues in the Mathematical Physics group or Experimental Particle Physics groups.

Additional training opportunities

Further specialised training in accelerator physics may be offered through attendance at one or more of the CERN accelerator schools or equivalent schools elsewhere. In addition to attending international conferences relevant to their degree, our students attend the annual accelerator PhD student conference at the Cockcroft Institute where they present their work and receive feedback on their presentation skills. In common with all Lancaster postgraduate students, our students have access to a wide range of other general and transferable skills training courses through the university.

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