Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Rob obtained his PhD in 1987 with Birmingham University, working on the UA1 experiment at CERN, for which the spokesperson, Carlo Rubbia, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1984. He subsequently worked on another particle physics experiment at CERN, Aleph on the Large Electron Positron Collider, the predecessor to the LHC, from 1986 to 1999. During that time, the spokesperson of that experiment, Jack Steinberger, also won the Nobel Prize for Physics, though for work done on another project. In Aleph, he played a leading role in the most precise measurement of the mass of the W-boson.
In 1999, Rob changed track, moving into the field of accelerator science. As part of an initiative to restart accelerator R&D for particle physics, he played a leading role in studies of a potential future project to make precise measurements of a phenomenon called neutrino oscillations, the Neutrino Factory. This later led to his interest in the use of accelerators for a number of applications, in particular in medicine. During this time, Rob has been PI of a number of projects, for example a FP7 Design Study of a future high intensity neutrino oscillation facility in Europe, EUROnu, and the construction of the first of a new kind of accelerator, a so-called non-scaling Fixed Field Alternating Gradient accelerator (ns-FFAG). This machine is called EMMA.
Research Expertise and Interests
Rob is currently the PI of two projects. The first is studying targets for producing intense beams of secondary particles using high power proton beams. Amongst others, this is studying upgrades to the ISIS target at the Rutherford Applelton Laboratory for making more intense beams of neutrons and is contributing to studies of the target for the European Spallation Source in Sweden. Rob has two particular interests in the target area. The first is the production of epithermal neutrons for a novel form of cancer therapy called Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. The second is medical isotope production for imaging, especially 11C production for PET scanning and 99Mo production for SPECT imaging.
The second project is an Accelerator Applications Network, as part of a CERN coordinated FP7 project called EuCARD2. This aims to take accelerator technology developed for particle physics and determine whether this can bring improvements to applications in medicine, energy production, the environment and industry.
Rob is also still investigating the possible applications of ns-FFAGs, in particular for treating cancer and for power generation via so-called Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS), and the applications of high current accelerators at low energy.
Research Degree Supervision
Click Here to see all postgraduate research opportunities with Dr Rob Edgecock
Research Expertise and Interests
- High Power Proton Beams
- Intense Beams of Neutrons
- Intense Beams of Secondary Particles
- Epithermal Netrons
- Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
- Medical Isotope Production
- Accelerator Applications Network
- Particle Physics
- Medicine
- Energy Production
- Environment
- Industry
- Accelerator Driven Systems
- ADS
- High Current Accelerators
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Network
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Projects
EuCARD-2: Enhanced European Coordination for Accelerator Research and Development
1/05/13 → 30/06/17
Project: Research
HL-LHC-UK: UK High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider
Barlow, R., Fletcher, S. & Edgecock, R.
1/04/16 → 31/03/20
Project: Research
ARIES: Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society
1/05/17 → 30/04/21
Project: Research
Research Output
Applications of Particle Accelerators in Europe
Faus-Golfe, Á. & Edgecock, R., Jun 2017, 116 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open Access
A Study of Potential Accelerator Production of Radioisotopes for Both Diagnostics and Therapy
Ratcliffe, N. & Edgecock, T., May 2017, Proceedings of 8th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC'17), Copenhagen, Denmark, 14-19 May 2017. Joint Accelerator Conferences Website (JACoW), 3 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Open Access
The RF Distribution System for the ESS
Aden, P., Edgecock, T., Naeem, D., Smith, R., Sunesson, A., Turner, N. & Yogi, R., 20 Jul 2017, In : Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 874, 5 p., 012095.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
A compact and high current FFAG for the production of radioisotopes for medical application
Bruton, D., Barlow, R., Edgecock, T., Seviour, R. & Johnstone, C., 2016, IPAC 2016 - Proceedings of the 7th International Particle Accelerator Conference. Joint Accelerator Conferences Website (JACoW), p. 1957-1959 3 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
2
Citations
(Scopus)
A fixed field alternating gradient accelerator for helium therapy
Taylor, J., Edgecock, T. R., Seviour, R., Johnstone, C. & Green, S., Jun 2016, IPAC 2016 - Proceedings of the 7th International Particle Accelerator Conference. Joint Accelerator Conferences Website (JACoW), p. 1953-1956 4 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Open Access
Activities
- 1 Oral presentation
Studies of Magnet Activation Due to Beam Losses and Back-Scattered Neutron
Thomas Edgecock (Speaker)29 Sep 2014
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation