Graduate study in accelerator physics

Welcome to the UVic Graduate Program in Accelerator Physics in conjuction with TRIUMF and D-Pace. 

TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, is also the primary facility for accelerator science and engineering in Canada. Existing and future accelerator equipment include the 500 MeV high intensity cyclotron as well as normal and superconducting linear accelerators in the ISAC and ARIEL facilities. 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.

D-Pace supplies products and services to the international commercial accelerator industry. Their areas of expertise include beamline systems, beam diagnositic devices and ion source for research, industrial, and commercial accelerator systems.

Research Opportunities

While Uvic has no particle accelerators on site research opportunities for MSc and Phd students based in Victoria are in the areas of 

• Cryocooler based fundamental superconducting radiofrequency studies
• Surface and Materiel Science Studies at the Advanced Microscopy Facility
• Application of SRF technology to quantum computing and
• Beam Dynamics studies for SuperKEKB

Most of our research opportunities at MSc and PhD level are based at TRIUMF within several ongoing programs . Many are associated with the development of TRIUMF on-site accelerators. Research topics are generally available in the following areas:

• Superconducting Radiofrequency (SRF) development  
  • Optimization of superconducting cavities for rf acceleration with two SRF linear accelerators, dedicated test cavities and experimental facilities for chemical and heat treatments  
  • Fundamental superconducting rf study through rf cavity treatment and rf characterization
  • Fundamental material studies with betaNMR and muon spin rotation making use of the local facilities at TRIUMF
  • Optimization of rf ancillaries including fundamental power couplers, tuners and higher order mode damping
  • Advanced control theory of RF amplitude and phase during RF acceleration including micro-phonics suppression, non-linear control theory and Iterative Learning Control
• Targets and Ion Sources developments
  • Development of a high-power targets, as well as electron-to-gamma and proton-to neutron converters radioisotope production.
  • Experimental and simulation-based studies of ion sources for high-intensity radioactive beams
  • Novel target materials for increased radioisotope intensities – micro and nano structured ceramics.
  • Radiation response of materials with projects in collaboration with RaDIATE
• Beam Physics
  • Systematic investigation of the beam properties of the e-linac e-gun and of the CANREB EBIS
  • Systematic investigation and theoretical studies on calculating and increasing the space charge limit of the cyclotron and its injection beamline.
  • Using beam physics models (usually used in the design stage of accelerators and beam transport lines) for beam operation to develop automatic tuning applications
  • Possible e-linac operation as a free-electron laser/light source
  • Analytic investigation of the luminosity limit of the Large Hadron Collider (CERN), that arises from the beam-beam space charge effect, as well as application to the design of its successor, the Future Circular Collider.
  • Design of a 100MeV superconducting cyclotron
  • SuperKEKB upgrade for polarized beams
• Development of the ARIEL e-linac (beam diagnostics, RF separator design, and others)
• Design of future particle accelerators

At D-Pace we offer research opportunites in the area of ion source developments pertaining to medical (diagnostics & therapy), semi-conductor (ion implantation), industrial, and discovery science utilizing D-Pace’s 4 ion source test stands: (i) Volume-Cusp (TRIUMF & University of Jyväskylä licenses), (ii) Penning, (iii) Bernas, (iv) ECR (Neutron Therapeutics license).

For current opportunities refer to our research website and inquire with Tobias Junginger.

Course program

Students entering the graduate program at MSc level will need to complete the coursework requirements for the MSc (Physics) degree. These include 7.5 course units (5 one-semester classes) for an MSc, and a further 1.5 units (1 one-semester class) for a PhD. For MSc students, the primary course requirements are normally completed during the fall and spring semesters of the first year.  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) and electromagnetism (see e.g. PHYS422).

A typical course list for incoming students in accelerator physics is shown below.

Fall MSc core courses

Spring MSc core course

PHYS522 is run by the Accelerator Physics Division at TRIUMF and is televised and recorded for students at UVic.

In addition to these core courses, the MSc program requires two additional courses. These are typically chosen from the list below.

Further MSc/PhD courses

Other subjects may be covered by directed studies (PHYS 580), or in certain cases the course programs at other BC institutions, e.g. courses at UBC for students based at TRIUMF.

All available graduate courses are listed in the department course list.