An indigenously designed and fabricated table top accelerator (TTA) delivered the first beam on target at the Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences (MCNS), a constituent of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) here. Designed by IUAC, New Delhi, this is the first university-based TTA to become functional in India.
The project was undertaken by the Nuclear Physics Group at MCNS in technical co-operation with Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC). The Manipal team was led by faculty member, Prasanta Kumar Rath, assisted by design engineer Pratyusha Dittakavi with Safvan and Rajkumar of IUAC, New Delhi. The Nuclear Physics group currently specialises in heavy element synthesis and neutron physics. MAHE Vice-Chancellor H. Vinod Bhat welcomed the development and said, “With this addition to our experimental facilities at MCNS, we look forward to expanding our work in the field of accelerator science as well as using this as a tool for exploring new directions in R&D across a range of fields. We would like to build on these skills, and expect an upgraded and revised version of this accelerator will be available at Manipal for researchers.”
Mohini Gupta, Director, MCNS, thanked Kanjilal, director, IUAC, for technical co-operation, and said the machine provided a good introduction to accelerators and associated instrumentation for students who would now have access to a unique and versatile tool for scientific study.