A novel, steerable, low-energy proton source for detector characterization

Macsai, Nicholas L. [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]; Mendelsohn, August [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0000000248472133); Harrison, David [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]; Mammei, Russell [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0009000534814832); Gericke, Michael [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]; Broussard, Leah [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191822808); Smith, Erick [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000321525546); Riley, Grant [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000173238448); Randall, Glenn [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)]; Makela, Mark [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000305923683)

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2026.171336

DOE OSTI · 3018145

A novel, steerable, low-energy proton source for detector characterization

Macsai, Nicholas L. [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]·Mendelsohn, August [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0000000248472133)·Harrison, David [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]·Mammei, Russell [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0009000534814832)·Gericke, Michael [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)]·Broussard, Leah [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191822808)·Smith, Erick [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000321525546)·Riley, Grant [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000173238448)·Randall, Glenn [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)]·Makela, Mark [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000305923683)

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Abstract

We report on the conversion of the Manitoba II mass spectrometer into a versatile low-energy proton beam facility. This infrastructure is adaptable to any detector-under-test (DUT), and has proven itself effective with the characterization of silicon detectors used in subatomic beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) searches, namely the Nab experiment. A pencil beam of mono-energetic protons can be produced in a range from 25 keV to 35 keV, achieving a beam current of ~1 x 10 -18 A. Electrostatic steering plates were constructed to direct the Gaussian-profile proton beam over a 117 mm diameter area-of-interest with full-width at half-maxima (FWHM) ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.26 mm. This work discusses the modifications and subsequent tests to confirm the beam specifications met the demands of the aforementioned detectors.

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Fundamental neutron physics Neutron betadecay Proton accelerator Silicon detectors

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BibTeX RIS

Macsai, Nicholas L. [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)], Mendelsohn, August [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0000000248472133), Harrison, David [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)], Mammei, Russell [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)] (ORCID:0009000534814832), Gericke, Michael [Univ. of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (Canada)], Broussard, Leah [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191822808), Smith, Erick [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000321525546), Riley, Grant [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000173238448), Randall, Glenn [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)], Makela, Mark [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000305923683). 2026-01-29. A novel, steerable, low-energy proton source for detector characterization. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2026.171336

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