Please check out the Cyclotrons! YouTube playlist to watch the series in order

Cyclotrons!

Produced as a joint collaboration between the Koeth Research Group, the University of Maryland’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the United States Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) at Fermilab, Cyclotrons! is a nine-part educational series highlighting Dr. Koeth’s very own 12-inch Cyclotron. From fundamental operations to more complicated physical phenomena, the series dissects every working level of the Cyclotron through a curriculum that allows students of any background to experience an upper-level college course in particle physics.

In the Introduction, we begin with the fundamental principles of particle acceleration and highlight the history behind the 12-inch Cyclotron’s construction and active operation at both Rutgers and the University of Maryland. The Magnet episode is perhaps the most fun, showcasing both the innards of the Cyclotron’s magnet coils, the magnet profile, and some exciting hands-on experiments that allow us to visualize the high field. MSE Graduate Student Noah Hoppis leads the Vacuum episode, exploring the various levels of vacuum one might encounter in a lab space, as well as the Cyclotron’s vacuum system in great detail. Then, we dissect the Ion Source, summarizing the physics behind a cold-cathode ion emission, the process of cleaning and replacing the chimney, and running the beam to the target. The RF episode is the most in-depth explanation of RF power you’ll ever see, highlighting not only the LC circuit that keeps the Cyclotron at resonance but also the tuning systems we use to modulate the beam during start-up. We further analyze the beam with the Deflector, which we break down in great detail both mechanically and mathematically. Our Betatron Motion and Resonances episodes highlight unique beam phenomena that occur in our Cyclotron, how we handle them, and how we can use the versatility of the machine to actually create conditions inducing these phenomena at will. Finally, we look into the brain of the Cyclotron with the Control system, as engineer Jim Krutzler showcases the PLC system he designed for machine protection and controls.

Cyclotrons! was a labor of love, and directors Ryan Dorman and Dr. Timothy Koeth are incredibly proud to share it with audiences of all backgrounds. From novices to expert particle physicists, there’s a lot we can learn by following these tiny particles around and around and around.

Please click here or on the title at the top to watch the series in order, or on each name for specific topics.

Many thanks to Willow Morrissey for additional direction, camerawork, and animation, graphic designer Maya Lee, composer Michelle Richer, Noah Hoppis and Meghan Schemer for 3D animations, and the rest of our fantastic collaborators for making this project what it is. We could not have done it without your kind and dedicated support, for which we are truly grateful.