Synchrotrons: 50 years of physics at CERN and medical applications
Dr. Ugo Amaldi
(Univ. of Milano Bicoca and TERA Foundation)
Sala Seminarios IFIC (Edf. Institutos de Investigación) Miércoles, 19 de Mayo de 2004 a las 12:00 PM
Resumen
Fifty years ago it was decided that the not yet completely approved European Laboratory CERN would start its physics program with two accelerators: a powerful cyclotron and a synchrotron of the largest energy available at the time in the world. Edoardo Amaldi was Secretary General of the organization. After recalling the steps that brought to the choice of the energy of the CERN proton synchrotron (PS), I shall describe my first impressions when, in 1960, I joined Fidecato’s group working at this machine and the main physics results produced with its beams. A long chain of synchrotrons (also in the form of colliders) have been built at CERN: the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR), the Super proton synchrotron and the Large electron positron collider (LEP). Time will allow only a short review of the main physics results produced by these accelerators, that I know well have being participating in experiments around all of them.
The second part of the colloquium will be devoted to the use of circular accelerators in cancer therapy. The technique of hadrontherapy was proposed by Bob Wilson more than fifty years ago, but it has developed as an effective medical tool only in the last ten years. Synchrotrons are used for producing both proton and carbon ion beams. I shall concentrate on the study made at CERN to design an optimized synchrotron for carbon ions (PIMMS) and on the centers designed by GSI (HICAT) and TERA (CNAO), which at present are under construction in Heidelberg and Pave.
