Accelerator Operator: Job Description & Responsibilities

[imastud]

What sort of things does someone who works at a lab as an "accelerator operator" do. Obviously the name speaks for itself but I was looking more a more specific description.

 

[ZapperZ]

What sort of things does someone who works at a lab as an "accelerator operator" do. Obviously the name speaks for itself but I was looking more a more specific description.

Accelerator operator (not the be confused with accelerator physicist), does exactly what the name implies, operate an accelerator. Many accelerators are part of a larger user facility, such as a synchrotron center. As an accelerator operator, you make sure the beam parameters are nominal, run system checks, do beam filling/topping/etc., do start-up and shut down whenever necessary, etc... etc. In other words, things that require the accelerator to run smoothly.

Zz.