Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “proton beam”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13

Design of a PIP-II Era Mu2e Experiment

We propose a design of an upgraded Mu2e experiment for the future Fermilab PIP-II era based on the muon collider front end. The consensus is that such an upgrade should provide a factor of 10 increase in the rate of stopping muons in the experimental target. The current Mu2e design is optimized for 8 kW of protons at 8 GeV. The PIP-II upgrade project is a 250-meter-long CW linac capable of accelerating a 2-mA proton beam to a kinetic energy of 800 MeV (total power 1.6 MW). This would significantly improve the Fermilab proton source to enable next-generation intensity frontier experiments. But using this 800 MeV beam poses challenges to the Mu2E experiment. Bright muon beams generated from sources designed for muon collider and neutrino factory facilities have been shown to generate two orders of magnitude more muons per proton than the current Mu2e production target and solenoid. In contrast to the current Mu2e, the muon collider design has forward-production of muons from the target.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Focussing Protons from a Kilojoule Laser for Intense Beam Heating using Proximal Target Structures

Proton beams driven by chirped pulse amplified lasers have multi-picosecond duration and can isochorically and volumetrically heat material samples, potentially providing an approach for creating samples of warm dense matter with conditions not present on Earth. Envisioned on a larger scale, they could heat fusion fuel to achieve ignition. We have shown in an experiment that a kilojoule-class, multi-picosecond short pulse laser is particularly effective for heating materials. The proton beam can be focussed via target design to achieve exceptionally high flux, important for the applications mentioned. The laser irradiated spherically curved diamond-like-carbon targets with intensity 4 × 10 18 W/cm 2 , producing proton beams with 3 MeV slope temperature. A Cu witness foil was positioned behind the curved target, and the gap between was either empty or spanned with a structure. With a structured target, the total emission of Cu Kα fluorescence was increased 18 fold and the emission profile was consistent with a tightly focussed beam. Transverse proton radiography probed the target with ps order temporal and 10 μm spatial resolution, revealing the fast-acting focussing electric field. Complementary particle-in-cell simulations show how the structures funnel protons to the tight focus. Here, the beam of protons and neutralizing electrons induce the bright Kα emission observed and heat the Cu to 100 eV.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Direct observation of the exotic β – γ – α decay mode in the T z = – 1 nucleus Na 20

The exotic β – γ – α decay mode of 20 Na has been directly observed for the first time in the Day-one experiment at the Beijing Radioactive Ion-beam Facility. The 20 Na source was produced by using a 100-MeV proton beam bombarding a stack of microporous MgO thick target and delivered as an intense mass separated beam after online ionization. A high-efficiency simultaneous measurement of β, γ, and α transitions enables the β-delayed γ – γ and α – γ coincidence spectroscopy. Here three β – γ – α exotic decay sequences in 20 Na are discovered, which expands the rare decay modes observed in β decay. Moreover, a β – α –decay sequence to the 6130-keV 3 – state of 16 O is observed, which is likely through the 12367-keV 1 + state in 20 Ne. The experimentally deduced B(F) and B(GT) are compared to the shell-model calculation, the allowed β transition strengths can be well accounted for by using sd shell-model space interactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Proton branching ratios of 23 Mg levels

Background: The anomalous 22 Ne abundance measured in certain presolar graphite grains is thought to arise from the decay of 22 Na that was synthesized at high temperatures in core-collapse supernovae. To better interpret this abundance anomaly, the primary destruction mechanism of 22 Na, the 22 Na(p,γ) 23 Mg reaction, must be better understood. Purpose: Determine proton branching ratios of several 23 Mg excited states that play a role in the high-temperature 22 Na(p,γ) 23 Mg reaction rate. Methods: Particle decays of 23 Mg excited states populated with the previously reported 24 Mg(p,d) 23 Mg transfer reaction measurement [Kwag et al., Eur. Phys. J. A 56, 108 (2020)] were analyzed to extract proton branching ratios. The reaction was studied using a 31-MeV proton beam from the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and 24 Mg solid targets. Results: Proton branching ratios of several 23 Mg excited states in the energy range of Ex = 8.044 - 9.642 MeV were experimentally determined for the first time for the p0 and p1'(p1+p2+p3) decay channels. Conclusions: These new branching ratios for 23 Mg levels can provide an experimental foundation for an improved high-temperature rate of the 22 Na(p,γ) 23 Mg reaction needed to understand production of anomalously high 22 Ne abundance in core-collapse supernovae.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Experiments on Electron Cooling and Intense Space-Charge at IOTA

The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator at Fermilab will explore beam dynamics in a ring with intense space-charge using 2.5~MeV proton beams with an incoherent tune shift approaching -0.5. We will use this machine to explore the interplay between electron cooling, intense space-charge, and coherent instabilities. In this contribution, we describe the machine setup including the design of the electron cooler and the lattice, list specific experiments and discuss the results of numerical simulations which include the effects of electron cooling and transverse space-charge forces.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

EXPERIMENTS ON ELECTRON COOLING AND INTENSE SPACE-CHARGE AT IOTA

The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator at Fermilab will explore beam dynamics in a ring with intense space-charge using 2.5 MeV proton beams with an incoherent tune shift approaching -0.5. We will use this machine to explore the interplay between electron cooling, intense space-charge, and coherent instabilities. In this contribution, we describe the machine setup including the design of the electron cooler and the lattice, list specific experiments and discuss the results of numerical simulations which include the effects of electron cooling and transverse space-charge forces.

Banerjee, N.↗

The CMS Phase II Outer Tracker Upgrade at Fermilab

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be upgraded to increase the instantaneous luminosity up to 5−7.5×10 34 cm −2 s −1 . To face these challenging conditions the CMS tracking system must be updated, using modules that on the one hand are able to cope with high radiations and on the other hand can provide information to the L-1 trigger selection. This report describes the results of some tests on the new tracking modules at the FNAL test beam facility. In particular half of one module was irradiated by 400 MeV protons (total fluence comparable to the one expected through the lifetime of the experiment) and then some analysis were performed on both the irradiated and not irradiated side of the detector with a 120 GeV proton beam. In this report, the efficiency and noise occupancy analysis are presented, with focus on the main critical issues encountered.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Design and Development of the PIP-II Stripline Beam Position Monitor

• Designed a stripline Beam Position Monitor (BPM) for the PIP-II accelerator to ensure precise proton beam alignment under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions • Developed a mechanically robust and manufacturable assembly, including a cylindrical housing, electrodes, flange interfaces, and internal supports • Achieved high safety margins under pressure loading, using finite element analysis (FEA), while

Avalos Angel, Alejandro [Northern Illinois U.]↗

Megawatt upgrade of NuMI target system

Fermilab operates the world’s highest power neutrino target system, called the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) to provide intense neutrino flux to the NuMI Off-axis $\nu_{\mu}$ Appearance (NOvA) near and far neutrino detectors to reveal mysterious property of neutrinos. We report a progress of the NuMI beam power upgrade plan at Fermilab to transport a 1-Mega Watt (MW) proton beam to the high power neutrino target. The latest beam power record is 870 kW in Fall 2021.

Yonehara, Katsuya↗

Experiments On Electron Cooling and Intense Space-charge at IOTA

The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator at Fermilab will explore beam dynamics in a ring with intense space-charge using 2.5 MeV proton beams with an incoherent tune shift approaching -0.5. We will use this machine to explore the interplay between electron cooling, intense space-charge, and coherent instabilities. In this contribution, we describe the machine setup including the design of the electron cooler and the lattice, list specific experiments and discuss the results of numerical simulations which include the effects of electron cooling and transverse space-charge forces.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Contextual modeling and Bayesian Optimization for Improved Injection at the Fermilab Booster

The Fermilab accelerator complex delivers high-intensity proton beams to serve the lab’s neutrino, muon, and fixed-target programs. A normal-conducting Linac accelerates H− beam to 400 MeV and injects into the Booster rapid cycling synchrotron via charge exchange, which accelerates protons to 8 GeV. Injection from the Linac into the Booster is a critical area for high-power performance of the Fermilab proton complex. The Booster is a high-intensity proton ring with extreme space-charge forces which necessitates precise control over the beam losses through the acceleration cycle. The main challenge for the reliability of Booster performance is compensating for drifting conditions in the beam from the Linac, which can drift daily in energy by up to O(1) MeV w.r.t. design. Drifts in Linac orbit and energy must be corrected to match the Booster, while simultaneously accommodating interdependent drifts in transverse and longitudinal beam quality. Operationally, compensation for these changes is addressed by manual tuning of the Linac output energy and/or Booster acceptance, which can be inefficient and time-consuming. This works describes contextual Bayesian Optimization for injection tuning that takes into account the state of Linac beam via information from instrumentation in the injection line (Beam position monitors (BPMs), beam loss monitors (BLMs), wire scanners for transverse profiles (WSs)), as well as RF cavity setting parameters from the Linac.

Sharankova, R. [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000027014593X)↗

A beam profile and position measurement system for the IPF target

Currently one determines the size and position of the proton beam at the IPF target using plastic films. These films are installed in a target carrier, lowered into position, exposed to the beam, raised back up to the hot cell, removed from the target carrier, and assessed via a video feed. About an hour is required for each cycle of measurement. Because of this high cost in terms of time the users usually settle for a beam that is good enough to meet their needs, but not as good as they would like. I propose here a diagnostic device that would enable a measurement of under two seconds. This would enable delivery of a better-quality beam in less time.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Uniform Beam Simulation Technique for Beam Scans and Machine Learning Studies at Fermilab

Fermilab's neutrino facilities, including NuMI and the upcoming LBNF, use proton beams to produce positively and negatively charged pions and kaons. Detailed simulations are necessary to study particle interactions and beam propagation. To efficiently analyze beam scan effects, we propose a technique to generate multiple simulation samples with high statistics. These samples can be used to develop beamline simulation based machine learning applications. In this technique, we generate a uniformly distributed single simulation data sample. We calculate Gaussian weights for each beam configurations and apply them to post-processing measurements. In this poster, we demonstrate the proposed simulation technique. This technique reduces simulation time and computing resources significantly.

Wickremasinghe, Athula↗

High-gradient performance of a prototype accelerator cavity for a 3 GeV proton radiography booster

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and results of the high-gradient conditioning and testing for a two-cell, π -mode, standing wave normal-conducting prototype booster cavity for the proposed 3 GeV proton linac upgrade at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Increasing the energy of proton beam from the existing 800 MeV to 3 GeV will improve resolution of the proton radiography by up to 10 times. The proposed energy boost can be achieved with a compact normal-conducting high-gradient radio-frequency (rf) linac section. The C-band section of the booster linac was designed with optimized-shaped copper accelerator cavities with distributed rf coupling. A short two-cell test prototype structure was designed for the frequency of 5.712 GHz, fabricated, and tested at the C-band Engineering Research Test Facility in New Mexico (CERF-NM) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The maximum klystron power coupled into the test structure was 8.3 MW with 1 μ s pulse length and 100 Hz repetition rate. The breakdown probabilities were recorded as functions of the accelerating gradient and peak surface fields. Operation of the test cavity at accelerating gradients of up to 100 MV / m was demonstrated. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Slow Extraction Beam Commissioning for the Mu2e Experiment at Fermilab

Following the successful completion of the Muon g-2 experiment run at Fermilab, the Muon Campus facility has been reconfigured from delivering 3 GeV muon beams to the g-2 storage ring to providing slow-extracted 8 GeV proton beam spills for the Mu2e experiment. The first full-scale commissioning run with slow extraction was conducted during the 2025 run, followed by the second run in early 2026. We present the results and current status of this commissioning campaign.

Nagaslaev, V. [Fermilab]↗

Slow Extraction Beam Commissioning for the Mu2e Experiment at Fermilab

Following the successful completion of the Muon g-2 experiment run at Fermilab, the Muon Campus facility has been reconfigured from delivering 3 GeV muon beams to the g-2 storage ring to providing slow-extracted 8 GeV proton beam spills for the Mu2e experiment. The first full-scale commissioning run with slow extraction was conducted during the 2025 run, followed by the second run in early 2026. We present the results and current status of this commissioning campaign.

Nagaslaev, V. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000235719205)↗

Beam Losses and Emittance Growth Studies at the Record High Space-Charge in the Booster

Comprehensive studies of high intensity proton beams in the 0.4-8 GeV FNAL Booster synchrotron have revealed interesting nonlinear dynamics of the beam losses and emittance growth at the record high dQ_{SC}=0.6. We report the results of the studies and directions of further improvements to prepare the Booster to the era of even higher intensity operation with new 0.8 GeV PIP-II linac.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Accelerator Neutrinos

Neutrino beams generated by particle accelerators are essential for probing fundamental physics. This presentation will examine the creation of high-intensity, well-collimated neutrino beams, crucial for long-baseline experiments like DUNE and NOvA. These experiments are pushing proton beam power to multi-MW levels and utilizing large-scale detectors to overcome the challenge of limited event statistics. At LBNF, the DUNE experiment will rigorously test the three-neutrino flavor model and explore CP violation by analyzing oscillation signatures in high-intensity νμ(νμˉ)νμ​(νμ​ˉ​) to νe(νeˉ)νe​(νe​ˉ​) beams. We'll explore the technical complexities of beamline components, the drive towards higher beam powers, and the strategies for measuring and managing neutrino flux. The presentation will also cover advancements in neutrino beam instrumentation and efforts to enhance beam precision, which are key to achieving the next generation of multi-megawatt accelerator facilities. By reviewing past achievements and future prospects, this talk aims to provide a clear overview of the current state and future potential of neutrino beam technology.

Ganguly, Sudeshna↗