Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

It is proposed to conduct research into a new particle accelerator complex for low emittance electron beams to generate ultra brilliant synchrotron radiation. The main research will focus is on a high energy electron beam storage ring design, which will use the latest design principles combined with modern computing power to optimise the performance of the ring. The research challenge is to find stable solutions for low emittance relativistic electron beams in a non-linear electromagnetic lattice, made up of magnets and high power radio frequency acceleration cavities. The long term goal is to create electron beams with diffraction limited source sizes in the x-ray part of the synchrotron radiation spectrum. Such low emittance storage rings will require new methods of injecting particles into them, so a second aspect of this research program is to design compact low emittance electron linear accelerators. In this instance, the trend is for high energy linear accelerators to act both as an injector for a storage ring and as a Free Electron Laser (FEL) to generate radiation themselves. This program is not only to create a physical model; the research must also concentrate on a useful parameter space that fits the demands of the Canadian synchrotron light user community and be practically realisable in a cost and in an engineering sense. The ultimate goal is to achieve a diffraction limited source size for the x-ray beamlines that will be attached to the accelerator. The expected outcome from this research is the complete design of an electron source, injection system and storage ring for a synchrotron light source that can be used to replace the present CLS facility. It will provide a solution for the Canadian synchrotron user community who are demanding brighter and more coherent sources of x-rays to support their future research needs.In the process of conducting the research, this program will continue the physics department's tradition of training the next generation of HQPs who will be responsible for building, commissioning and operating the future light source. Since building a light source is a once in a generation occurrence, most HQPs do not get the benefit of experiencing this. Instead, I will use my extensive global network of collaborators to give HQPs in this program access to accelerator facilities world wide to gain experience on machines that are currently being built and commissioned. In particular, I will use the agreement I have created between the University of Saskatchewan and the world's largest accelerator laboratory the European Organisation for Nuclear Research or CERN to provide training and experience working on accelerator research projects in high energy physics in Switzerland. As a committee member for conferences and schools in the accelerator physics community, I will ensure students will get the best research environment for them to grow and access to many international experts.