These are notes on the "freeware" version of CyberRay 1.0.1. The freeware version is intended mostly as a demo. See below for how to obtain the full blown version.
Note: CyberRay runs on Power Macs only.
CyberRay is a fully three-dimensional ray tracing package for both optical and electron beams. It is unique in that it uses an individual particle model rather than envelope equations to model the propagation of a beam through various optics. This is less efficient than an envelope model but provides much greater flexibility. Moreover, desktop computers have become so fast that in many cases CyberRay can run hundreds of particles through several optics in a second or two.
The CyberRay user interface is designed to feel like a "virtual laboratory." The user sets up an experiment by obtaining various pieces of equipment from the "equipment shelf" window. The equipment shelf contains three kinds of items: those which generate a beam (linacs, lamps), those which affect the beam (optics), and those which measure properties of the beam (detectors). These items can be placed anyhwere in three-dimensional space, and in any orientation. The user then simply hits "run simulation" and the detectors report their data when the simulation finishes.
One of the features you will notice right away is the "apparatus view" window. This displays a three-dimensional picture of your apparatus. You can rotate the view with the scroll bars, or "fly" around like in a flight simulator using the controls at the bottom of the window. When pressing the "fly", "roll", or "slip" buttons, keep the mouse button held down. Now moving the mouse rotates the observer in various directions. The option key affects which axis you rotate about. The velocity control bar affects how fast you move forward or backward when pressing the fly button. It affects how fast you move sideways or up and down when pressing the slip button.
Notice that you can create multiple apparatus views by selecting "New View" from the view menu. Also, when you run the simulation all the view windows display the particles as the simulation runs. You can change the way particles are displayed using the "particle options..." item in the view menu.
CyberRay is faithful to Macintosh user-interface guidelines, so if you understand optics you can probably explore it without too much documentation. Balloon help is provided for the menus.
One thing that might need explaining is the "Loose Beams" checkbox in the dialog box displayed right before running a simulation. This is related to the fact that CyberRay employs a "dynamic timestep." That is, the software chooses the timestep for each particle independently based on its environment at that instant. In order to perform the space charge calculation, though, the particle states must all be known at the same instant so the field can be computed. To do this, CyberRay enforces a "beam cycle" during which all the timesteps for an individual particle must add up to a particular value, the "beam timestep." The space charge field is then computed only at the end of a beam cycle. If loose beams is checked, the beam cycle is not enforced and the space charge calculation won't work. Why have loose beams then? In many cases using loose beams makes observing the particles in the apparatus view a little easier. You'll have to do some experimenting to see why (or order CyberRay 1.0.1, and you'll get a nice manual that explains everything).
Full Blown CyberRay
In the full blown edition of CyberRay you get the following additional items:
1. File Electrons
Allows you to use an ASCII file to specify exactly where in phase space you want each electron to start.
2. File Photons
Similar to file electrons
3. File Electrode
Allows you to use a binary lookup table to specify the electrostatic potential on a three dimensional mesh
4. File Magnet
Allows you to use a binary lookup table to specify the scalar potential of a free space static magnetic field on a three dimensional mesh
5. Solenoid Lens
Models a solenoid lens according to the Glaser model.
6. Sector Magnet
Models a sector dipole with non-tapered pole pieces, including fringe fields.
7. Quadropole
Models a quadropole magnet according to "hard edged" model
8. Spherical Lens
An arbitrary lens (double convex, meniscus, etc.) with two spherical surfaces. The photons are propagated through the lens using snell's law at each surface. Linear dispersion can be included.
9. Cylindrical Lens
Similar to the spherical lens
10. Prism
The prism is isoceles triangular with linear dispersion
11. Ideal 1D Lens
Models an ideal cylindrical lens
12. Parabolic Mirror
Models a reflecting parabolic surface
13. Phase Plane
Measures the transverse phase structure. i.e., generates a scatter plot of x vs. px and computes various statistics
14. Longitudinal Phase Plane
Measures the longitudinal phase structure
15. Streak Camera
Measures the spatio-temporal properties of a beam
16. Phase Dump
Allows you to save the six-dimensional phase space data for each particle as it goes through a specified aperture.
17. R Matrix
Allows you to compute the 6-dimensional transfer matrix between any two planes based on the particle motions
CyberRay comes with complete documentation. The software consists of a single file that fits on one floppy disc. Memory requirements depend on the particular simulation you want to run. CyberRay runs only on Power Macs.
Ordering
The best way to order CyberRay 1.0.1 is to use the electronic order form which can be found at the Sarkomand web site. The address is
http://www.netcom.com/~dfgordon
A more detailed description of CyberRay can also be found at this site.
Alternatively, you can also send an e-mail to
sarkoman@ix.netcom.com
Say you're interested in ordering CyberRay and an electronic order form will be returned to you along with current pricing.
