The intensive programme consisted of talks and case studies, as well as excursions to nearby sites.
The topics covered included: electromagnetism, relativity and the basics of beam dynamics, different injection and extraction schemes, special magnetic and electrostatic elements for the case of lepton and hadron beams, the technical layout of state-of-the-art kicker and septa designs, and the special features of resonant extraction, as used in machines for medical applications.
For the case studies, students were divided into small groups to complete a number of design tasks. This not only provided an opportunity for applying the theoretical knowledge to real-life problems, but also an opportunity to discuss the topic in detail with the lecturers and tutors. The students presented their results on the final afternoon of the school and thoroughly enjoyed these practical sessions, reflecting the high standard of this CAS.
The course was held at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center in Erice, and was attended by 72 participants of 25 nationalities, from countries as far away as China, Iran, Russia and the United States. In addition to the academic programme, the students had the opportunity to take part in an all-day excursion to the Segesta and Selinunte temples, which was highly appreciated by all those who participated.
The next CAS course will be an Advanced Accelerator Physics course, to be held at the Royal Holloway University of London Campus, Egham, UK from 3 to 15 September 2017 and a Joint School on RF Technologies to be held in Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan from 16 to 26 October 2017.
Further information on forthcoming CAS courses can be found on the CAS website (https://www.cern.ch/schools/CAS).