Collective_effects_(accelerator_physics)
Charged particle beams in a particle accelerator or a storage ring undergo a variety of different processes. Typically the beam dynamics is broken down into single particle dynamics and collective effects. Sources of collective effects include single or multiple inter-particle scattering and interaction with the vacuum chamber and other surroundings, formalized in terms of impedance.
The collective effects of charged particle beams in particle accelerators share some similarity to the dynamics of plasmas. In particular, a charged particle beam may be considered as a non-neutral plasma, and one may find mathematical methods in common with the study of stability or instabilities. One may also find commonality with the field of fluid mechanics since the density of charged particles is often sufficient to be considered as flowing continuum.
Another important topic is the attempt to mitigate collective effects by use of single bunch or multi-bunch feedback systems.