On this audio file, we can listen the voices of P.J. Bryant and K. Johnsen at the very first CERN Accelerator School.
In 1983, a significant milestone was achieved in the field of accelerator science with the inauguration of the CERN Accelerator School (CAS).This initiative began a structured effort to educate and engage early-career researchers and seasoned scientists alike in the rapidly advancing domain of accelerator physics. The opening addresses delivered by two key figures of the time, P.J. Bryant and Kjell Johnsen, set the tone for what would become a cornerstone in global accelerator scientists’ training.
A Pioneering Start
P.J. Bryant’s address at the inaugural course of CAS highlighted the excitement and nervous anticipation accompanying this new venture. His welcome speech emphasised the course’s focus on “Antiprotons for Colliding Beam Facilities,” a cutting-edge topic that underscored CERN’s leadership in the field. Bryant’s meticulous outline of the program structure, featuring lecture periods of one and a half hours, was designed to encourage interaction and deep engagement. This approach, which allocated ample time for questions and discussion, reflected a commitment to fostering a participatory learning environment. The course aimed to bridge the gap between conceptual understanding and real-world application.
As the head of CAS, Kjell Johnsen provided a broader context for the school’s establishment. His remarks underscored the strategic importance of the school within CERN’s broader mission, noting that CERN’s leadership strongly supported the idea of such a permanent educational framework. The decision to begin with a specialised course on antiprotons instead of a more fundamental introduction to accelerator physics was bold and pragmatic. Johnsen acknowledged that while the topic might be challenging for some, it was chosen to leverage CERN’s pioneering work. The offer of a subsequent, more general course the following year exemplified the school’s flexibility and responsiveness to the diverse needs of its participants.
Looking back at these inaugural addresses, it is clear that the principles laid down by Bryant and Johnsen have had a lasting impact on the evolution of CAS. The emphasis on interactive learning, the importance of specialised yet accessible content, and the recognition of the need for varying levels of curriculum have all become integral components of the school’s philosophy. These founding ideals have continued to resonate in today’s CAS courses, which now cover a wide range of topics, from fundamental accelerator physics to highly specialised areas such as cryogenics and beam diagnostics.
Modern courses at CAS continue to embody the balance between theory and practical application that was so central to the first program. The structure of lectures, often coupled with hands-on sessions or site visits, ensures that participants not only gain knowledge but also understand its implementation in real-world scenarios. This unique approach has proven to be invaluable in cultivating a generation of accelerator scientists who are not only knowledgeable but also skilled in the practical aspects of their field.
Today, CAS continues to update its curriculum to reflect the latest advancements in accelerator science, ensuring that each course remains relevant to the challenges and opportunities faced by the field.
OPENING ADDRESSES
P.J. Bryant
CERN, Geneva, Switzerland.
It is my very great pleasure to welcome you all here today. It is an important occasion for many of us, since this course on "Antiprotons for Colliding Beam Facilities" is in fact the first one to be organized by the newly formed CERN Accelerator School. We are therefore bound to feel a little nervous, but hope you will find the course both enjoyable and informative. You will notice that the programme is based on lecture periods of one hour and a half. This will allow the lecturer to speak for about one hour and ten minutes and then you will have about twenty minutes to pose your questions and to discuss the lecture topic. The programme is designed to cover as many as possible of the problems that would confront the designer of an antiproton facility, starting with the source and going through accumulation, storage, and exploitation, but stopping short of the physics experiments. We are fortunate in being able to show you the realization of much of the theory in the unique antiproton facilities here at CERN, comprising machines covering the momentum range from 0.1 GeV/c in LEAR to 270 GeV/c colliding beams in the SPS. I would now like to hand over to Kjell Johnsen, who will put antiprotons at CERN into a historical perspective and show you how this field has developed over the years.
K. Johnsen
CERN, Geneva, Switzerland.
As Head of the CERN Accelerator School (CAS) I also have great pleasure in welcoming you to this first course held under its auspices. The idea of establishing an Accelerator School to provide a permanent framework for a series of basic or specialized courses in accelerator physics was inspired, and is backed, by the Director General and the Directorate of CERN. Specialized courses will form an important part of our activities, and this first one is bound to have a particular significance. So we have chosen a very topical subject - that of antiprotons for colliders - to open the series, even if, on logical grounds, we ought to have started at a more basic level. But, as suggested by
Giorgio Brianti, the impact of the work on pp collisions and the consequent expertise acquired at CERN are such that this unconventional beginning is fully justified. Should some of you find the details rather difficult to follow, we shall be glad to welcome you again next September to another course in which the treatment of accelerator physics will certainly be more basic and general.
On this link you will be able to download transcript of this course.