Brief Introduction to Particle Accelerators

Abstract

This lecture is a brief introduction to charged particle accelerators. The aim is to provide the reader with basic concepts and tools needed to describe the motion of charged particles under the action of guiding and focussing fields, with an emphasis on those aspects that are relevant to understanding and quantifying how accelerator vacuum systems affect accelerator performance. Even though the focus is on electron accelerators and, in particular, electron storage rings used as synchrotron light sources, most of the concepts described are of general application to a wider class of particle accelerators.