Summary

This report details the development and initial performance of the CERN Antiproton Accumulator (AA), a groundbreaking facility designed to store and accumulate antiprotons for high-energy physics experiments. Simon van der Meer's central thesis is that the AA, through the stochastic cooling technique he pioneered, successfully achieved unprecedented antiproton densities, making the collider experiments at CERN feasible. The report outlines the technical challenges in generating, decelerating, and storing antiprotons, and presents the experimental results demonstrating the effectiveness of the accumulator's magnetic and radio-frequency systems in achieving beam cooling and accumulation.

Readers gain insight into the complex engineering required for such a specialized accelerator, understanding the principles behind beam manipulation and the critical role of precise control systems. The report highlights the successful implementation of stochastic cooling as a key innovation, enabling the collection of sufficient antiprotons for experiments like the search for the W and Z bosons. The outcome is a concrete demonstration of a new accelerator technology’s viability.

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Key concepts

Antiproton Accumulator (AA) — A particle accelerator ring at CERN designed to collect and store antiprotons.
Stochastic Cooling — A beam cooling technique invented by Simon van der Meer to reduce the momentum spread and emittance of particle beams.
Decelerator — A component of the accelerator complex used to slow down particles to lower energies.
Beam Emittance — A measure of the phase-space volume occupied by a beam of particles, indicating its quality and spread.
CERN — The European Organization for Nuclear Research, a leading center for particle physics research.