ul investigation. This will require better understanding of fundamentals and new technological advances. As accelerator application demands continue to increase (higher energy, higher luminosity, brighter beams, more efficient accelerators, …) there will be no shortage of new challenges to tackle in the future.
Students will learn the physics underlying RF superconductivity and its application to accelerators, as well as the advantages and limitations of the SRF technology. The aim is to provide students with ideas and approaches that enable them to evaluate and solve problems related to the application of superconducting cavities to accelerators and actively participate in the development of SRF systems for various accelerators. This course includes lectures and review sessions. Homework problems are assigned and graded. The solutions are discussed during the review sessions. There is a final exam at the conclusion of the course.
There are no dedicated courses like this at other universities. Courses on this topic are taught at the U.S. Particle Accelerator School (USPAS), where a two-week course is offered every 2 to 3 years.
Can students work in this area once they graduate? Yes, the field is expanding and there are many new job openings.
Sergey Belomestnykh is an Adjunct Professor of in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University and Associate Division Head for SRF at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). Dr. Belomestnykh has been involved in developing SRF systems for most of his career at Cornell University, BNL, and Fermilab. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a recipient of the 2015 IEEE NPSS Particle Accelerator Science and Technology Award “for achievements in the science and technology of RF and SRF for particle accelerators.”
Irina Petrushina is a Research Assistant Professor of Physics at Stony Brook University. Dr. Petrushina is the winner of the 2020 RHIC and AGS thesis award, and a finalist of the 2021 Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists. Her research is focused on the development of Superconducting Radiofrequency electron photoinjectors, aspects of Coherent electron Cooling, and implementation of diagnostic techniques for laser wakefield accelerators.
The course also includes some specialty lectures that are given by the leading experts in the field. For example, in 2021 an invited lecture on Cryogenics was given by A. Klebaner from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
The course has been offered several times. The last time was during Spring semester of 2021. There were 9 students enrolled in the course. This course falls within the scope of the Ernest Courant Traineeship in Accelerator Science & Engineering and allows for the students outside Stony Brook University to enroll for credit.