Quantum effects in accelerator physics

Quantum effects for electrons in a storage ring are discussed, in particular the polarization effect due to spin flip synchrotron radiation. The electrons are treated as a simple quantum mechnical two-level system coupled to the orbital motion and the radiation field. The excitations of the spin system are then related to the Unruh effect, i.e. the effect that an accelerated radiation detector is thermally excited by vacuum fluctuations. 24 refs., 2 figs