BeamOptics: a Symbolic Platform for Modeling and the Solution of Beam Optics System

BeamOptics [1] is a Mathematica-based computing platform devoted to the following objectives; · Structured representation and manipulation of particle beam optics systems with symbolic capabilities, · Analytical and numerical modeling of beam optics system behaviors, · Solution to specific beam optical or general accelerator system problems, in algebraic form in certain cases, through customized algorithms. Taking advantage of and conforming to the highly formal and self-contained structure of Mathematica, BeamOptics provides a unique platform for developing accelerator design and analysis programs. The feature of symbolic computation and the ability to manipulate the beam optics system at the programming language level enable the user to solve or optimize his system with considerably more efficiency, rigour and insight than can be easily achieved with passive modeling or numerical simulation methods. BeamOptics is developed with continuous evolution in mind. New features and algorithms from diverse sources can be incorporated without major modification, due to its formal and generic structure. In this report, a survey is given of the basic structure and methodology of BeamOptics, as well as a demonstration of some of its more specialized applications, and possible direction of evolution.