An Introduction to Particle Accelerators (Hardcover)

by E. J. N. Wilson (Author) "The years around 1930 were exciting times for the inventors of accelerators..." (more)
Key Phrases: synchronous particle, accelerator school, ray transformer, Brookhaven National Laboratory (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From [this book, readers] will learn a bit about the accelerators around the world, their technologies, and the physical principles used to create them. . . . Wilson takes care of the reader, leading him gently through some of the complexities of the real accelerator world -- imperfections and all. . . . [It] is an easily accessible descriptive walk through the physics and technologies of particle accelerators. As such it could be a useful read for scientists who find that their research depends heavily on use of the many different types of accelerators in use around the world." -- Physics Today


Product Description
There are more than ten thousand particle accelerators in the world from the linear accelerators used for cancer therapy in modern hospitals to the giant 'atom-smashers' at international particle physics laboratories used to unlock the secrets of creation. Many scientists and engineers spend their lives designing, constructing, and operating these machines - yet few universities include the subject of particle accelerators in their curricula. The few courses that do exist and the summer schools run by the big accelerator laboratories lack a simple introduction which covers the essentials of the subject for the many who need to learn how these machines work. This book fills that gap and takes the reader through each of the aspects of a modern accelerator giving enough information to unlock the door to the subject but does not overload the understanding with mathematics. Anyone with a general interest in modern technology based on a fascinating variety of physics and engineering will find much of interest in this book.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198520549
• ISBN-13: 978-0198520542
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,830,217 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars European efforts predominating, June 5, 2004

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to Particle Accelerators (Paperback)

Very specialised book. Written mostly for engineers involved in designing accelerators, and graduate students in physics who might have experiments at an accelerator.

No abstruse theory here. A book for experimentalists. Wilson describes clearly the differences between cyclotrons and linear accelerators and synchrotrons. The advantages and disadvantages of each. With real life examples, like those at CERN (of course), and at SLAC and Fermilab.

It does seem that the baton is passing from the US in this field. The European scientists have somehow managed to keep their funding together, which Wilson praises. He undoubtedly help bring this about. Certainly, an impression from this book is that if you are starting out in experimental particle physics, you might do best to direct your efforts at CERN.