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DOE OSTI2025

Operational Experience of the NML Cryogenic Plant at the FAST Test Facility

The New Muon Laboratory (NML) cools two individually cryostated superconducting radio frequency (SRF) capture cavities (CC) and one prototype ILC cryomodule (CM) with eight SRF cavities. This complex accelerates electrons at 150 MeV for the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) ring, located at the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology (FAST) facility. Since 2019, this R&D accelerator complex has gone through four science runs.

Wallace, T. [Fermilab]↗

DOE OSTI2022

Review of condensed matter laser cooling using electric-dipole-allowed transitions

The cooling of solids via laser-excited anti-Stokes luminescence has reached the cryogenic regime and is now being considered for several applications that benefit from vibration-free cryogenic refrigeration. 4f-4f transitions in rare-earth-doped crystals with low phonon energies currently offer the best laser-cooling performance. These transitions, however, are electric-dipole (ED) forbidden and thus have low cross sections, limiting the minimum achievable temperatures in practical materials to the 50–100 K regime. In contrast, ED-allowed transitions may offer greater cross sections and potentially enable lower minimum temperatures or more compact devices. The search for laser cooling with ED-allowed transitions has been an active field of research over the past decades with a wide variety of materials having been studied. This paper reviews the fundamentals of solid-state laser cooling, provides a preliminary theoretical assessment showing that laser-cooling with ED-allowed transitions is in principle possible, and reviews the experimental results reported to date. While cooling with ED-allowed transitions has not yet been realized in the solid state, the existing experimental body of work along with the theoretical considerations presented here suggest that further research on this topic may be fruitful.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2024

Transient Optimization of the Cryogenic Moderator System Controller at the Spallation Neutron Source for Improved Performance

The high-energy neutron beam generated at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is moderated to use cold (slow) neutrons for scientific discoveries. The Cryogenic Moderator System (CMS) removes heat from the neutron beam using cryogenic hydrogen (H 2 ) moderators connected via heat exchangers to a helium (He) refrigeration loop that dissipates heat using a compressor-brake system. However, the CMS is affected by sporadic losses in beam power, referred to as "beam trips," as these events generate significant disturbances in cooling requirements. To accommodate the heat load transients during beam trips, the CMS uses a decentralized control strategy consisting of four flow valves and one electric heater adjusted by independent proportional-integral (PI) controllers. During the CMS’s initial commissioning, the PI gains were calibrated based only on tracking performance, overlooking their effectiveness in disturbance rejection. A data-driven, control-oriented closed-loop model was developed to recalibrate the PI gains and minimize the transient disturbances caused by beam trips. The model consists of three main components: (1) a physics-based model of the He refrigeration loop, (2) a machine-learning model of the cryogenic H 2 cooling trains, and (3) the control logic used for feedback set-point tracking. Experimental results showed that the recalibrated gains obtained in this study improved the CMS’s transient response during beam trips.

Maldonado Puente, Bryan↗

DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying a partial polyamorphic transition in a cerium-based metallic glass during cooling

Cerium-based metallic glasses are prototype polyamorphous systems with pressure-induced polyamorphic transitions extensively reported. Cooling typically has a similar effect on materials as compression with regard to reducing volume. However, previous studies show dramatically different behavior of Ce-based metallic glasses between cooling and compression, whose origin remains unclear. Here, using in situ low-temperature synchrotron high-energy x-ray diffraction, the structural evolution of a Ce68Al10Cu20Co2 metallic glass is accurately determined and analyzed by a structure factor and a reduced pair distribution function (PDF) during cooling from 298 to 83 K. An unusually large linear thermal expansion coefficient is revealed, which is associated with both continuous but inconsistent structural changes between the two subpeaks of the first atomic shell in terms of average bond lengths and coordination numbers. These phenomena are suggested to be attributed to a gradual 4f electron delocalization of only a minimal amount (∼2.6% at 83 K) of Ce atoms by quantitative analysis of the PDF data. However, a previously expected global polymorphic transition from a low-density amorphous state to a high-density amorphous state with an abrupt volume collapse is not observed. Moreover, electrical resistivity also shows a continuous increase during cooling without any sharp change. It is clarified that cryogenic temperatures could facilitate but are not powerful enough alone to trigger a global polymorphic transition in the Ce68Al10Cu20Co2 metallic glass, suggesting a wide distribution of its local atomic environment.

Chen, Zhi↗

DOE OSTI2024

LCLS-II Helium Refrigeration System : A comprehensive overview of the project

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has upgraded to LCLS-II, featuring a 4 GeV superconducting accelerator composed of 37 cryomodules and two large helium refrigeration systems with a total cooling capacity of 8 kW at 2.0 K. The cryogenic system at SLAC is the successful outcome of a nine-year partnership between SLAC, Fermilab, and Jefferson Lab. This paper highlights the joint efforts between Jefferson Lab and SLAC in the development and implementation of the LCLS-II Cryogenic Plants. It details the project organization, schedule, budget, staffing profile and procurement strategy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2025

Millimeter-Wave Superconducting Qubit

Manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum at the single-photon level is fundamental for quantum experiments. In the visible and infrared ranges, this can be accomplished with atomic quantum emitters, and with superconducting qubits such control is extended to the microwave range (below 10 GHz). Meanwhile, the region between these two energy ranges presents an unexplored opportunity for innovation. We bridge this gap by scaling up a superconducting qubit to the millimeter-wave range (near 100 GHz). Working in this energy range greatly reduces sensitivity to thermal noise compared to microwave devices, enabling operation at significantly higher temperatures, up to 1 K. This has many advantages by removing the dependence on rare 3⁢ He for refrigeration, simplifying cryogenic systems, and providing orders-of-magnitude higher cooling power, lending the flexibility needed for novel quantum sensing and hybrid experiments. Using low-loss niobium trilayer junctions, we realize a qubit at 72 GHz cooled to 0.87 K using only 4 ⁢He. We perform Rabi oscillations to establish control over the qubit state, and measure relaxation and dephasing times of 15.8 and 17.4 ns, respectively. This demonstration of a millimeter-wave quantum emitter offers exciting prospects for enhanced sensitivity thresholds in high-frequency photon detection, provides new options for quantum transduction and for scaling up and speeding up quantum computing, enables integration of quantum systems where 3 ⁢He refrigeration units are impractical, and, importantly, paves the way for quantum experiments exploring a novel energy range.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2023

Precision measurement of the magnetic field in run 1 of the g-2 experiment

The Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) is a superconducting linear accelerator being built at Fermilab that will provide 800 MeV proton beam for neutrino production. The linac consists of a total of twenty-three (23) cryomodules of five (5) different types. Cooling is required at 2K, 5K and 40K. The Cryogenic Distribution System (CDS) consists of a Distribution Valve Box, ~285 m of cryogenic transfer line, modular Bayonet Cans to interface with cryomodules, and a Turnaround Can. The cryogenic system must provide protection from over-pressure by sizing pressure relief devices for all volumes and process line circuits. The cryomodule cavity circuits have dual pressure ratings, 4.1 bara when cold and 2.05 bara when warm (T>80K). Worst case relieving cases will be identified. The methods for determining heat flux will be presented. For the relieving occurring in the linac tunnel, flow must vent to outside to avoid an oxygen deficiency hazard. Also, we will present vacuum vessel relief sizing to protect the cryogenic distribution system vacuum shells from over pressure during an internal line rupture. The project is funded by US DOE Offices of Science, High Energy Physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

C1Po2D-04: Cryogenic Testing of the First HL-LHC Q1/Q3 Cryo-Assembly at

In early 2023, Fermilab is conducting horizontal cryogenic testing of the first Q1/Q3 Cryo-Assembly for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade (HL-LHC). The Cryo-Assembly was installed on the upgraded Fermilab horizontal test stand previously used for testing the LHC inner triplet quadrupoles. The cryogenic process requirements of this test include controlled cool-down and warm-up with a 100 K maximum temperature differential between the two ends of the cold mass, operation of a 1.3 bar, 1.9 K bath of subcooled superfluid helium during power testing and magnetic measurements, and operation at pressure up to 18 bar with full helium recovery after a quench.

Rabehl, R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Cryogenic Testing of HL-LHC Q1/Q3 Cryo-Assemblies at Fermilab

Fermilab is conducting horizontal cryogenic testing of Q1/Q3 Cryo-Assemblies for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade (HL-LHC). Cryo-Assemblies are installed on the upgraded Fermilab horizontal test stand previously used for testing the LHC inner triplet quadrupoles. The cryogenic process requirements of these tests include controlled cool-down and warm-up with a 100 K maximum temperature differential between the two ends of the cold mass, operation of a 1.3 bar, 1.9 K bath of subcooled superfluid helium during power testing and magnetic measurements, and operation at pressures up to 18 bar with full helium recovery after a quench. This paper presents the operational experience gained from the first tests as well as improvements for subsequent tests.

Rabehl, R. [Fermilab]↗

DOE OSTI2023

Cryogenic testing of the first HL-LHC Q1/Q3 cryo-assembly at Fermilab

In early 2023, Fermilab is conducting horizontal cryogenic testing of the first Q1/Q3 cryo-assembly for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade (HL-LHC). The cryo-assembly was installed on the upgraded Fermilab horizontal test stand previously used for testing the LHC inner triplet quadrupoles. The cryogenic process requirements of this test include controlled cool-down and warm-up with a 100 K maximum temperature differential between the two ends of the cold mass, operation of a 1.3 bar, 1.9 K bath of subcooled superfluid helium during power testing and magnetic measurements, and operation at pressure up to 18 bar with full helium recovery after a quench. This paper presents the operational experience gained from this first test.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Cryogenic testing of HL-LHC Q1/Q3 cryo-assemblies at Fermilab

Fermilab is conducting horizontal cryogenic testing of Q1/Q3 cryo-assemblies for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade (HL-LHC). Cryo-assemblies are installed on the upgraded Fermilab horizontal test stand previously used for testing the LHC inner triplet quadrupoles. The cryogenic process requirements of these tests include controlled cool-down and warm-up with a 100 K maximum temperature differential between the two ends of the cold mass, operation of a 1.3 bar, 1.9 K bath of subcooled superfluid helium during power testing and magnetic measurements, and operation at pressure up to 18 bar with full helium recovery after a quench. This paper presents the operational experience gained from the first tests as well as improvement for subsequent tests.

Rabehl, R. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000311130030)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Multicaloric Cryocooling Using Heavy Rare-Earth Free La(Fe,Si) 13 -Based Compounds

The transition toward a carbon-neutral society based on renewable energies goes hand in hand with the availability of energy-efficient technologies. Here, magnetocaloric cooling is a very promising refrigeration technology to fulfill this role regarding cryogenic gas liquefaction. However, the current reliance on highly resource critical, heavy rare-earth-based compounds as magnetocaloric material makes global usage unsustainable. Here, we aim to mitigate this limitation through the utilization of a multicaloric cooling concept, which uses the external stimuli of isotropic pressure and magnetic field to tailor and induce magnetostructural phase transitions associated with large caloric effects. In this study, La 0.7 Ce 0.3 Fe 11.6 Si 1.4 is used as a nontoxic, low-cost, low-criticality multiferroic material to explore the potential, challenges, and peculiarities of multicaloric cryocooling, achieving maximum isothermal entropy changes up to −28 J (kg K) −1 in the temperature range from 190 K down to 30 K. Thus, the multicaloric cooling approach offers an additional degree of freedom to tailor the phase transition properties and may lead to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly gas liquefaction based on designed-for-purpose, noncritical multiferroic materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

Proton Improvement Plan II Cryogenic Distribution System thermodynamic design

The Proton Improvement Plan – II (PIP-II) is a superconducting linear accelerator being built at Fermilab that will provide 800 MeV proton beams for neutrino production. The Linac requires cooling at 40 K, 5 K, and 2 K temperatures, which will be provided by cryogenic helium produced by a Helium Cryoplant and distributed by a Cryogenic Distribution System (CDS). Based primarily on the Linac heat load requirements at each temperature and the allowable pressure drop, we have made a preliminary thermodynamic design of the CDS. The design also incorporates special requirements such as controlled and/or fast cooldown of the superconducting RF cavities and their dual maximum allowable working pressures. This paper presents the overall features of the PIP-II CDS, sizing of helium process circuits, different operating modes, and calculated mass flow capacities that cater to these operating modes.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Dissociative electron recombination and rotational cooling of the deuterated triatomic hydrogen ions H 2 ⁡D + and D 2 ⁢H +

We have measured the dissociative recombination (DR) of the deuterated triatomic hydrogen ions H 2 ⁡D + and D 2 ⁢H + as a function of storage time at the Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR). Both molecular ions were stored for up to 1000 s inside the cryogenic vacuum of the CSR prior to the electron recombination measurements, allowing them to cool to their lowest rotational states. We implement a comprehensive model for all relevant processes to predict the internal state evolution of the ions during storage inside the CSR, employing calculated radiative transition strengths and state-selective rate coefficients for electron collisions. Our DR rate coefficient measurements with deuterated triatomic hydrogen ions in defined quantum states allow for meaningful comparisons with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, paving the way for a better understanding of the complex DR process for polyatomic molecular ions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Miniature Additively Manufactured Vortex Tube

Ranque–Hilsch vortex tubes are simple devices that can produce a cooling effect using compressed air. A key advantage of vortex tubes is the lack of moving solid parts; however, their efficiencies are relatively low. The present study focuses on the development of a miniature variable-diameter tube using additive manufacturing. A metal-based 3D printing technique was utilized to fabricate this vortex tube monolithically. Computational fluid dynamics simulations employing software STAR-CCM + with a compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach and the elliptic-blending lag k-epsilon turbulence model have been applied to model thermofluid processes inside the vortex tube, to good agreement with the experiment. In conclusion, a temperature decrease of 13.3 °C and a cooling power of approximately 4 W were experimentally achieved with a pressure ratio of 4 in the air at normal conditions. This result shows promise for the goal of utilizing additive manufacturing to design and build complex-geometry vortex tubes intended for use with cryogenic fluids.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Advances in understanding vacuum break dynamics in liquid helium-cooled tubes for accelerator beamline applications

Understanding air propagation and condensation following a catastrophic vacuum break in particle accelerator beamlines cooled by liquid helium is essential for ensuring operational safety. This review summarizes experimental and theoretical work conducted in our cryogenics lab to address this issue. Systematic measurements were performed to study nitrogen gas propagation in uniform copper tubes cooled by both normal liquid helium (He I) and superfluid helium (He II). These experiments revealed a nearly exponential deceleration of the gas front, with stronger deceleration observed in He II-cooled tubes. To interpret these results, a one-dimensional (1D) theoretical model was developed, incorporating gas dynamics, heat transfer, and condensation mechanisms. The model successfully reproduced key experimental observations in the uniform tube system. However, recent experiments involving a bulky copper cavity designed to mimic the geometry of a superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavity revealed strong anisotropic flow patterns of nitrogen gas within the cavity, highlighting limitations in extrapolating results from simplified tube geometries to real accelerator beamlines. To address these complexities, we outline plans for systematic studies using tubes with multiple bulky cavities and the development of a two-dimensional (2D) model to simulate gas dynamics in these more intricate configurations. As a result, these efforts aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of vacuum breaks in particle accelerators and improve predictive capabilities for their operational safety.

Beamline tube↗

DOE OSTI2021

Heat and mass transfer during a sudden loss of vacuum in a liquid helium cooled tube - Part III: Heat deposition in He II

A sudden loss of vacuum can be catastrophic for superconducting particle accelerators. In such an event, air leaks into the liquid-helium-cooled accelerator beamline tube and condenses on its inner surface, causing rapid boiling of the helium and dangerous pressure build-up. Understanding the coupled heat and mass transfer processes is important for the design of the beamline cryogenic system. Our past experimental study on nitrogen gas propagating in a copper tube cooled by normal liquid helium (He I) has revealed a nearly exponential slowing down of the gas front. A theoretical model that accounts for the interplay of the gas dynamics and the condensation was developed, which successfully reproduced various key observations. However, since many accelerator beamlines are actually cooled by superfluid helium (He II) in which the heat transfer is via a non-classical thermal counterflow mode, we need to extend our work to the He II cooled tube. This paper reports our systematic measurements using He II and the numerical simulations based on a modified model that accounts for the He II heat-transfer characteristics. By tuning the He II peak heat-flux parameter in our model, we have reproduced the observed gas dynamics in all experimental runs. The fine-tuned model is then utilized to reliably evaluate the heat deposition in He II. Finallly, this work not only advances our understanding of condensing gas dynamics but also has practical implications to the design codes for beamline safety.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2022

Fast optical transport of ultracold molecules over long distances

Abstract Optically trapped laser-cooled polar molecules hold promise for new science and technology in quantum information and quantum simulation. Large numerical aperture optical access and long trap lifetimes are needed for many studies, but these requirements are challenging to achieve in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) vacuum chamber that is connected to a cryogenic buffer gas beam source, as is the case for all molecule laser cooling experiments so far. Long distance transport of molecules greatly eases fulfilling these requirements as molecules are placed into a region separate from the MOT chamber. We realize a fast transport method for ultracold molecules based on an electronically focus-tunable lens combined with an optical lattice. The high transport speed is achieved by the 1D red-detuned optical lattice, which is generated by interference of a focus-tunable laser beam and a focus-fixed laser beam. Efficiency of 48(8)% is realized in the transport of ultracold calcium monofluoride (CaF) molecules over 46 cm distance in 50 ms, with a moderate heating from 32(2) μ K to 53(4) μ K. Positional stability of the molecular cloud allows for stable loading of an optical tweezer array with single molecules.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗