by S Y Lee (Indiana University), World Scientific 981 02 3710 3 (pbk US$32/£22).
This is a general, introductory text to the, by now, rather wide field of accelerator physics. Circular and linear, low- and high-energy machines accelerating electrons, protons and ions are covered. Synchrotron motion, basic collective effects and synchrotron radiation are described as well.
The book can be strongly recommended for students specializing in accelerator physics, in particular those who appreciate a detailed, formal description of beam optics design and who are likely to use tracking or optics design programs. It should also be useful as a source of reference material for the specialist.
Readers interested in self-study and engineers working on aspects connected with accelerators will probably find the book rather formal, specialized and difficult to read.
Progress in accelerators was, and still is, to a large extent stimulated by the needs of nuclear and particle physicists for higher energies, intensities, luminosities, etc. There is relatively little on these subjects. The beambeam effect is mentioned only briefly and there is no discussion of the definition, knowledge and optimization of beam parameters of interest to users of accelerators.
The 490 pages contain an impressive amount of material and many formulae. Additional details are often given as exercises for the student.
