Customer Reviews

Particle Accelerator Physics

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This text is the announced reading requirement for the United States Particle Accelerator School introduction (undergraduate) course, Fundamentals of Accelerator Physics and Technology with Simulation and Measurements Lab. The course is sponsored and scheduled to be held this year at Vanderbilt University in January 2009. I purchased the text to determine if I might gain from attending the course. As a technical school graduate, RF technician at an accelerator facility, and a non math-engineering-physics undergraduate degree holder, I found the text to be quite readable and informative. The author provides both the theoretical and the application of the material presented. This kept me comfortable with the sometimes exotic application of wave theory and particle dynamics. A number of end of chapter problems are provided as well as the solutions. However, not all problem solutions are provided and the author assumes the reader has obtained mastery of significant mathematics. This is no surprise since the target audience is engineering and physics majors. So, if the reader has taken calculus at a technical school and or a college of business in the United States then he or she should be prepared to learn many advanced concepts. As an electronics instructor from 1982 - 2003, I believe the book should include many more diagrams and photographs if it is intended to be used as an effective textbook in a modern US classroom. At this point, it has the look and feel of an updated 1980s text. I would suggest the publisher, editor and author (if living, I didn't find Professor Wiedemann listed as an active faculty member or researcher with a quick Google search- no slight intended) develop supporting multimedia and flesh out the solutions to the end of chapter problems. At 948 pages, the book is quite an undertaking for independent study. However, with a little inspiration and perspiration someone with a technology background will gain from reading the book. I highly recommend the book.

Michael E. Clemmer AOS, BS, CET, GROL
"Technology, it's great when it works" :>)