Accelerator Physics Graduate Program
Welcome to the UVic Graduate Program in Accelerator Physics, organised in conjunction with the TRIUMF Laboratory.
TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, is also the primary facility for accelerator science and engineering. Existing and future accelerator equipment includes:
- 500 MeV 270 microamp Cyclotron
- ISAC-1 and ISAC-II radioactive isotope beam facilities
- 50 MeV 10 milliamp e-linac (in development)
In addition to the internal laboratory program, TRIUMF has collaborated in accelerator-related design work at BNL, CERN, DESY, and KEK and has ties to the Large Hadron Collider through beam dynamics, magnet hardware and instrumentation projects.
Research opportunities at MSc and PhD level are available within several ongoing programs at TRIUMF, associated with these on-site accelerators. These include:
- Studies for cyclotron operation at 400 microamps
- Compact superconducting medical cyclotrons and FFAG accelerators
- Source development for exotic beams at ISAC
- Development of the e-linac (beam diagnostics, RF seperator design, and others)
- Possible e-linac operation as a free-electron laser/light source
More information about the research program in accelerator physics is found at the Victoria Subatomic Physics and Accelerator Research Centre website.
Degree Requirements
Students entering the graduate program at MSc level will need to complete the coursework requirements for the MSc(Physics) degree. These include 9 course units (6 one-semester classes) for an MSc, and a further 3 units (2 one-semester classes) for a PhD. For MSc students, the primary course requirements are normally completed during the fall and spring semesters of the first year. A typical course list for incoming students in accelerator physics is shown below. Additional courses may be taken as required in the fall or spring of the second year.
Further 4th-year courses may also be required in addition for those students who have not already completed upper level courses in quantum mechanics (see e.g. PHYS423), electromagnetism (see e.g. PHYS422), and particle physics (see e.g. PHYS424).
Core courses
Fall term core courses include:
PHYS 500A Quantum Mechanics I
PHYS 502A Classical Electrodynamics
Spring term core courses include:
PHYS 500B Quantum Mechanics II
PHYS 522 Topics in Acceleratory Physics
* PHYS522, run by the Accelerator Physics Division at TRIUMF, actually comprises two courses which alternate each year. Thus 522 is normally taken twice over the 2 years of the MSc.
Course A: Electron Machines
Course B: Proton Machines
In addition to these core courses, the MSc program requires one additional course (see Further MSc/PhD courses).
Further MSc/PhD courses
In addition to core courses, the MSc program requires one additional course from the following:
PHYS 506A Particle Physics I
PHYS 515 Data Analysis Techniques for Physics and Astronomy
PHYS 521A Techniques in Nuclear and Particle Physics
For PhD students, the courses above and/or the additional courses below may also be suitable, while other subjects may be covered by directed studies (PHYS580), or in certain cases the course programs at other BC institutions.
PHYS 506B Particle Physics II
PHYS 534 Radiotherapy Physics I
PHYS 600A Quantum Field Theory I