Role at ANSTO
Dr. Rohan Dowd is responsible for leading the Accelerator Physics team at the Australian Synchrotron. The Accelerator Physics team is responsible for maintaining and developing the various electron accelerator systems on site to meet the current and future needs of the user community. The group also conducts research into accelerator techniques and technology to maximise the performance and output of the Australian synchrotron and develop the next generation of accelerator technology.
Rohan completed a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Melbourne from 2001-2005. His thesis work was conducted on the Belle experiment at KEK, looking for matter-antimatter asymmetries in rare B meson decays. He took the opportunity to switch fields and join the Accelerator Physics team in 2005, during construction of the Synchrotron.
Rohan has helped commission, optimise and upgrade the particle accelerator facilities at the Australian synchrotron, with particular emphasis on the accelerating cavities and other radiofrequency (RF) components. He is expert in the interaction of RF cavity systems on electron beams beam for both acceleration and transverse effects, such as beam instabilities and active feedback control. He has conducted particle wakefield analysis through simulation and impedance characterisation as well as accelerator technique research into emittance coupling minimisation and magnetic offset characterisation. In 2011 he demonstrated world record low vertical emittance and in 2014 reached the quantum limit of vertical emittance in the storage ring. This was an important milestone in validating the feasibility of the damping ring designs for future colliders.
In 2011 he was appointed as a Senior Accelerator Physicist and 2019 became head of the Accelerator Physics group. Rohan has co-supervised students of varying levels over the last 10 years, including undergraduate, Masters and PhD students.
He is currently leading the conceptual design of the accelerator systems for a new 4th generation Australian light source.
Expertise
Accelerator Physics, Linear accelerators, RF systems and diagnostics, Impedance and beam instabilities, Feedback Systems, Electromagnetic simulation, Beam coupling compensation, Optimisation, Cathode physics.
Qualifications & Achievements
- Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Physics, University of Melbourne (2000).
- Doctor of Philosophy in Science (Experimental Particle Physics), University of Melbourne (2005).
Committees, Affiliations & memberships
- Honorary research fellow at the department of physics at the University of Melbourne and the department of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University.
- Convener for the Asian forum for Accelerators and Detectors (AFAD) since 2018 and chaired AFAD’23.
- Chaired the local organising committee of the 10th International Particle accelerator conference (IPAC’19) held in Melbourne, 19-24 May 2019.
- Member of the Scientific advisory committee for the 12th and 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC’21 and IPAC’22) and organising committee member for IPAC’23, 24 and 25.
- Member of the International Linear Collider (ILC) Damping Rings Design Group.
- Committee member of the Australian Collaboration For Accelerator Science (ACAS)
- Active member of the Australian Synchrotron Equity and Diversity committee since 2016.