Northern Illinois University
Advanced Accelerator R&D (AARD)

Our group is always interested in RAs and relevant research can be carried out under PHYS 659, PHYS 699 or PHYS 799. TAs are also welcome. For funded RA opportunities, please directly inquire.

The following undergraduate opportunities are open:

• Senior project (paid): construction & magnetic measurement of a short undulator for electron-beam manipulations (ME, PHYS, EE)
• Senior project (paid): optical infrared pulse transport and gamma-ray detector for gamma-ray inverse Compton scattering experiment at FAST (PHYS)
• Senior project(s) on X-ray generation via channeling radiation (in collaboration with Fermilab)
• Senior project(s) on ultrashort laser science (formation of femtosecond pulses and high-harmonic generation)
• Senior project(s) analysis of field-emission data from a radio-frequency electron source (in collaboration with Fermilab)

Current Students

Ph.D. Candidates and Tentative Title

• Matt Andorf, Optical Stochastic Cooling of electron bunches
• Aleksei Halavanau, Electron-beam manipulations and collective effects
• Anusorn Luangaramwong, Nano-patterned cathodes and phase-space exchanger for light-source applications
• Alexander Malyzhenko, Electron beam tailoring for enhanced accelerator-based light-source performances
• Jinlong Wang, Dielectric-based beam manipulation and acceleration
• Osama Mohsen, Ultra-cold electron sources and Application

Master Candidates and Tentative Title

• Andrei Kkhizhanok, design of an optical cavity for gamma-ray production via inverse Compton scattering
• Alexander Malyzhenko, Integrated klystron-linac "klynac" concept for compact accelerators
• Matthew Urfer, Ultra-stable coherent-stacking optical cavity for inverse-Compton scattering

Ph.D. Dissertations and Master’s Theses

Ph.D. Dissertations

• Beam Manipulations and Accelerations with Dielectric-Lined Waveguides,
  Francois Lemery
  D. August 2015
• Investigations and Applications of Field- and Photo-emitted Electron Beams from a Radio Frequency Gun,
  Harsha Panunganti
  D. August 2015
• Advanced Phase Space Manipulations at the Fermilab's Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator,
  -- Fermilab's Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator is now Fermilab Accelerator Science & Technology (FAST) facility --
  Christopher Prokop 
  D. May 2014
• Measurement of sub-picosecond electron bunches via electro-optic sampling of coherent transition radiation,
  Timothy Maxwell
  D. May 2012
• Phase Space Manipulation in High-Brightness Electron Beams,
  Marwan Rihaoui 
  D. August 2011

Master Thesis

• A channeling radiation x-ray source at Fermilab's Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator (2014)
  Ben Blomberg
• Coherent Inverse Compton Scattering (2014)
  Ivan Viti
• Numerical Simulation of a Smith-Purcell Free-electron Laser Operating in the Backward Wave Oscillator Regime (2009)
  Christopher Prokop
• Diffraction Analysis of Coherent Transition Radiation Interferometry in Electron Linear Accelerators (2007)
  Timothy Maxwell 
• Construction and Initial Characterization of a Low Energy Electron Source for Electron Microscopy (2007)
  Shafaq Moten
• Impact of Photocathode Drive Laser Transverse Density Perturbation on a
  High Charge Electron Beam Produced in a Photoinjector (2007)
  Marwan Rihaoui 

Undergraduate Projects

• Chason Zacher, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, "Investigation of fiber-based laser-pulse compression for High-harmonic generation in gas", Fall program 2014.
• Jamison Thorne, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, “Investigation of Performances of relativistic electron mirrors”, Fall program 2013. Inspire HEP entries for Jamison. Thorne
• Stephen Zownorega, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, “Installation and initial commissioning of a Low energy electron source for electron microscopy”, Summer program, 2007, fall program 2007.
• Adam Bracke, Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, “Study of the ILC bunch post-damping ring bunch compressor”, Summer program, 2007.
• Nicole Michelotti, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “Labview-based image acquisition and on-line analysis program”, Summer program, 2006.