Accelerator Physics and Technology

Department

Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome

Main research activities/topics/projects

 This PhD in Physics and Technology of Accelerators is unique in Italy and is intended for students that can do their research in various Italian laboratories connected to Universities or to the INFN units (the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics).

However, the scientific community of the Accelerator Physics is totally international and this allows most of the students to spend a significant amount of their time abroad, at very high profile research infrastructures like - for instance - CERN in Switzerland.
The final goal of this PhD programme is to prepare young researchers in the subject of both theory and practice of particle accelerators. In fact, students can be offered a broad range of opportunities for their thesis research subjects.
These subjects span from the study of beam dynamics in large circular accelerators (as the CERN large installations) to novel techniques of particle acceleration as plasma acceleration. This is especially important since a new distributed research infrastructure is being built in Europe with an important node of this network in Frascati (Eupraxia). Accelerator physics requires the development of cutting edge technologies for magnets, mostly based on superconducting materials, with INFN having a recognized leading role in this research domain. Developments of particle and radiation sources are also included among the possible research activities. All of these have counterparts in applications to other fields of science and technology, such as the use in medicine for treatments and diagnostic (i.e. hadrotherapy or FLASH therapy for cancer ) or in the cultural heritage study and preservation. Applications to the field of energy production are also envisaged.
During the three years lectures and seminars are organized for the students - also in collaboration with the INFN - and are devoted to extending the students' knowledge in Physics - acquired during the graduation courses - to the principles of the Theory of the Accelerators and to their applications in the different domains of this science.
The students are also offered practical lectures in the INFN laboratories. All the theoretical courses can be attended, via e-learning, also from remote, to guarantee to all the students the access to them from any location in Italy (and Europe).
Nowadays particle accelerators are several tens of thousands in the world, employed in industry, radio-pharmaceutical production or large scale infrastructure (as electron synchrotrons). Students with a PhD degree in Physics and Technology of Accelerators easily find post-doc in various public and private research institutions in Italy or abroad or in high tech companies

Special  requirements

Some computer skills (use of C/C++, Python, Fortran, ..) is certainly a plus

Duration in months (min-max)

Master research : 6 -8

PhD sandwich: 6-12

Post Doc: 6 -12