[Sneap] Beam simulation software

[Vesa Palonen]

About ion optics programs,

In one article (http://beam.acclab.helsinki.fi/~vpalonen/p2.pdf) of my 
just-finished phD work I used three programs, the first two of these are 
freeware or comparable for academic users:

Graphic transport ( http://pc532.psi.ch/trans.htm )
Cosy Infinity ( http://bt.pa.msu.edu/index_cosy.htm )
Simion ( http://www.simion.com/ )

The first two are transfer-matrix codes, which makes them fast and hence 
handy for beam line design and optimization of the fields and geometries. 
Graphic transport is rather easy to learn and the code has a 
long (non-graphical) history.
Cosy Infinity is a more general computing framework and has a beam physics 
package. Last time I used it, it had some minor problems with 
visualization of beam envelopes in 3D systems (where some components bend 
the beam vertically and some horizontally) and calculation of 
the effect of momentum deviation in the beam. But this may no longer be 
the case. Cosy has many very advanced features, is flexible and can be 
developed further by the user. In principle it can calculate beam tranfer 
functions to an infinite order.

Simion can be used for calculating the electrostatic and magnetic fields 
and ray-tracing ions through them. Although version 7 which I used had an 
uncommon graphical interface, Simion is practical and easy to learn and 
use. You can nicely see the ion paths in 3D. You can 
also make scripts in simion, both for the geometries and for ray-tracing 
thousands of ions through the system. Magnetic fields are not too well 
handled in Simion, though.

Btw. there is an open-source FEM program Elmer for calculating fields from 
Finland:
http://www.csc.fi/elmer/
This can be used to calculate electric or magnetic fields 
and those could be taken to Cosy Infinity to get accurate higher 
order transfer functions.

Best,
Vesa Palonen

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M.Sc. Vesa Palonen
Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 43, 00014 Univ. of Helsinki, Finland
work phone:+358-9-19150010	mobile: +358-41-5304719
email: Vesa.Palonen at iki.fi	www: http://www.iki.fi/Vesa.Palonen
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"The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve."
-Eugene P. Wigner

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On Wed, 30 Jan 2008, Toader, Ovidiu wrote:

> Greetings!
>
>
>
> Does anyone know of decent software that can simulate an ion beam
> through an accelerator?   Info on who sells it (freeware of course would
> be much better) would be appreciated.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Ovidiu
>
> University of Michigan
>
> ovidiu at umich.edu
>
>