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DOE OSTI2026

Record of Decision: MEBT Energy Change

The LAMP Conceptual Design (LCD), as described in the LAMP Conceptual Design Report incorporates a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) with an output beam energy of 3.0-MeV; the medium energy beam transport line (MEBT) transports beam from the end of the RFQ into the first LAMP drift tube linac (DTL) tank. The MEBT contains components, such as rebunchers and beam choppers, designed for the specific output energy of the RFQ, and the DTL tank is designed to accept this beam energy.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Beam Dynamics Studies at the PIP-II Injector Test Facility

A series of beam dynamic studies were performed in 2020-2021 at the PIP-II Injector Test Facility (PIP2IT) that has been built to validate the concept of the front-end of the PIP-II linac being constructed at Fermilab. PIP2IT is comprised of a 30-keV H- ion source, a 2 m-long Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT), a 2.1- MeV CW RFQ, followed by a 10-m Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT), 2 cryomodules accelerating the beam to 16 MeV and a High-Energy Beam Transport (HEBT) bringing the beam to a dump. This paper presents beam dynamics - related measurements performed at PIP2IT such as the Twiss parameters with Allison scanners, beam envelopes along the injector, and transverse and longitudinal rms emittance reconstruction. These measurements are compared with predictions from the beam dynamics code Tracewin.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Dynamic motion trajectory control with nanoradian accuracy for multi-element X-ray optical systems via laser interferometry

The past decades have witnessed the development of new X-ray beam sources with brightness growing at a rate surpassing Moore’s law. Current and upcoming diffraction limited and fully coherent X-ray beam sources, including multi-bend achromat based synchrotron sources and high repetition rate X-ray free electron lasers, puts increasingly stringent requirements on stability and accuracy of X-ray optics systems. Parasitic motion errors at sub-micro radian scale in beam transport and beam conditioning optics can lead to significant loss of coherence and brightness delivered from source to experiment. To address this challenge, we incorporated optical metrology based on interferometric length and angle sensing and real-time correction as part of the X-ray optics motion control system. A prototype X-ray optics system was constructed following the optical layout of a tunable X-ray cavity. On-line interferometric metrology enabled dynamical feedback to a motion control system to track and compensate for motion errors. The system achieved sub-microradian scale performance, as multiple optical elements are synchronously and continuously adjusted. This first proof of principle measurement demonstrated both the potential and necessity of incorporating optical metrology as part of the motion control architecture for large scale X-ray optical systems such as monochromators, delay lines, and in particular, X-ray cavity systems to enable the next generation cavity-based X-ray free electron lasers.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2026

Neutral beams for the burning plasma era: Simulations and modeling of deuterium ion beams for plasma heating (CRADA Final Report)

Together with Realta Fusion, we set up several simulation scenarios and ran simulations using the WarpX code which is developed by LBNL and especially by members of the LBNL team. We investigated beam transport and beam neutralization and ran optimization and benchmark simulations. To achieve this, several new features were added to the warpX code. These code additions will also be beneficial to other users of warpX including several fusion companies and researchers at National Laboratories. Furthermore, we supported Realta Fusion in setting up their own instances of WarpX. We presented our results at the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics meeting and are in the process of writing a publication that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal to share our results with the broader community.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

MEBT Chopper System: System Design Document (SDD)

The Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) chopper removes unwanted beam bunches by deflecting them to a target from a bunched beam transported through the MEBT from RFQ to the Drift-Tube Linac (DTL) entrance. The unchopped bunches propagate through the MEBT to DTL, while the deflected bunches are deposited on a target downstream of chopper. The chopper system consists of a deflecting structure, where the beam-deflecting fields are created, and a pulse generator (pulser) that feeds this structure with voltage pulses having the required time pattern. Ideally, the system should turn deflection on and off in the time interval between the bunches to prevent partially chopped / deflected bunches. This usually requires traveling slow-wave chopper structures where the field propagates with the same velocity as the beam, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

LEBT Chopper System: System Design Document (SDD)

The Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) chopper creates a required beam time structure by chopping out (removing by deflecting from the beam path) unwanted parts of a continuous beam transported from the ion source to RFQ in LEBT. The unchopped parts of the beam propagate through the LEBT, while the deflected parts are deposited on an absorbing target. The chopper system in general consists of a deflecting structure, where the beam-deflecting fields are created, and a pulse generator that feeds this structure with voltage pulses having the required time pattern. The system should turn deflection on and off within a short time interval, because the beam parts within the pulse front and end will be only partially deflected and will form unwanted tails of the beam pulse downstream. This can be achieved with traveling slow-wave chopper structures where the field propagates with the same velocity as the beam, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

LAMP Technical Readiness Evaluation Report

An internal preliminary evaluation of Critical Technology Elements (CTEs) for the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP) was completed in 2023. This included determining corresponding Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) for all subsystems using the criteria of DOE G 413.3-4A, Technical Readiness Assessment Guide. This revised report includes a summary of the recent design modifications required to meet the project Key Performance Requirements (KPPs), some of which may reduce technical risk to the project. These recent design modifications include: • Further optimization of the low-energy and medium-energy beam transport regions (LEBT and MEBT, respectively), including relocation of various functional elements (ie choppers, kickers, and bunchers). • An additional H - ion source to separate ion-source function based on beam delivery requirements. • A high-repetition-rate pulsed kicker magnet to select/merge the two H ion beams into a common low-energy beam transport. • Modification and further optimization to a more conventional RFQ design. Performance of the RFQ has been optimized to deliver the required three types of beams while meeting the project KPPs. • The addition of a second chopper in the medium-energy beam transport (MEBT) line to reduce the required pulser voltages. The scope of the evaluation was limited to the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements as defined for the RFQ Injector and Drift Tube Linac (DTL) systems only. Integration of Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) and Safety Systems was not considered, although specific technologies as related to the RFQ and DTL systems were included. Other elements of the project such as Shielding, System Design, Technical Management, and additional facility integration needed to enable off-line testing and pre-installation commissioning were also not evaluated. Each technical subsystem element was evaluated for technical readiness, however, not all were found to meet the criteria for a CTE. Three subsystem elements were determined to meet the CTE criteria. Their associated TRLs are summarized in the table below. These subsystem elements of the project have the lowest technical readiness due to either being new, novel or modified, requiring additional R&D before being capable of meeting the project Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and subsystem requirements, or present technology exists but has not yet been demonstrated in a relevant environment. All other subsystems were determined to have a TRL of 8, indicating that actual operating systems exist having similar performance requirements as needed for LAMP. Details of the technical readiness evaluation for each subsystem is given in the following sections of this report.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2026

LAMP Technical Readiness Evaluation Report: LAMP-ENG-RPT-003 (Revision 2)

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS1994

LET spectra of fragmented 600-MeV/A iron beam on aluminum and polyethylene: A preliminary analysis

An iron beam experiment recently conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Bevalac by Benton et al. provides an opportunity for verifying the new Green's function computer code (GRNTRN) and assessing the related nuclear database. The iron beam with 600 MeV/A at extraction traversed a series of beam transport elements, lead foil, and several triggering devices before impacting the target. Of these, only the 2.24 g/sq cm lead foil and target are considered in the transport analysis with an assumed (inferred from calibration) beam energy of 557 MeV/A. A thin layer of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detector (PNTD) was placed in front of the target to monitor the incident flux and a stack of four PNTD's placed behind to measure the linear energy transfer (LET) distribution of the transported beam. Test data are analyzed for three separate targets: 2 g/sq cm aluminum, 5-cm polyethylene, and 8-cm polyethylene. The two-layer GRNTRN results were mapped into the detector response function for comparison with the measured LET spectra. Reasonable agreement is obtained. Future research and analysis can be improved by using a more accurate isotope set or including other important media which significantly alter the beam. The assumption that the fragmentation cross sections are too small for aluminum is inconclusive because the production of fragments by 2 g/sq cm aluminum can be more significantly affected by the fragment contribution originating from the media in front of the target than that currently considered in the analysis.

Shinn, Judy L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Investigation of resistive magnetic field generation by intense proton beams in dense plasmas

Current and future applications of intense proton sources abound, including radiography, cancer therapy, warm dense matter generation, and inertial confinement fusion. With increasingly efficient acceleration and focusing mechanisms, proton current densities may soon approach and exceed 10 10 A/cm 2 , e.g., via intense laser drivers. Simulations have previously shown that in this current density regime, beam-induced field generation plays a significant role in beam transport through dense plasmas. Here, we present a theoretical model for the generation of resistive magnetic fields by intense proton beam transport through solid density plasmas. The theoretical evolution of the magnetic field profile is calculated using an analytic model for aluminum resistivity, heat capacity, and stopping power, applicable from cold matter to hot plasma. The effects of various beam and material parameters on the field are investigated and explained for both monoenergetic and Maxwellian proton beams. For a proton beam with Maxwellian temperature 5 MeV and total energy 10 J, the model calculates resistive magnetic fields up to 150 T in aluminum. In conclusion, the calculated field profiles from several beam cases are compared with 2D hybrid particle-in-cell simulations, with good agreement found in magnitude and time scale.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Machine learning surrogate for charged particle beam dynamics with space charge based on a recurrent neural network with aleatoric uncertainty

In this work, we develop a machine learning (ML) model with aleatoric uncertainty for the low energy beam transport (LEBT) region of the LANSCE linear accelerator in which we model the transport of a space-charge-dominated 750 keV proton beam through a lattice of 22 quadrupole magnets. Our ML model is developed based on data generated by a Kapchinsky–Vladimirsky (KV) envelope model of beam transport. We show that a recurrent neural network can be used as a dynamical surrogate model for fast prediction of the LEBT beam envelope. Furthermore, we endow the model with the prediction of aleatoric uncertainty and compare three different approaches. We demonstrate that the ML-based uncertainty quantification models are well calibrated and produce good estimates of the regions where the model is less certain about its predictions. This ML framework is a necessary step in the development of a real-time virtual diagnostic tool with uncertainty quantification that can be integrated into more complex downstream tasks (e.g., adaptive control or learning flexible control policies via reinforcement learning) for improved efficiency in beam operations. In future work, we plan to expand on this preliminary study by considering more realistic envelope models that include longitudinal momentum spread and dispersive effects in bending magnets, as well as particle tracking codes with 3D space charge (such as and ). Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

First Results from Diamagnetic Loop Measurements of the DARHT-I Electron Beam [Slides]

Diamagnetic-loop (DML) measurements can inform efforts to improve radiographic resolution. DML is non-invasive, so time-resolved data is available on every shot while tuning or executing a hydrotest. The time-resolved beam size can be deduced from the DML data. LIA beam-transport dynamics affecting beam size can be monitored while testing mitigation measures (e.g., beam halo suppression). Time-resolved beam size at final focus provides immediate information about spot size enlargement due to blur, and effectiveness of mitigation efforts. DML measures magnetic flux produced by a rotating beam, so it also enables monitoring of Larmor emittance that can enlarge the spot size. Beam rotation adds in quadrature with emittance, hence “Larmor emittance." Observing zero bias-field DML flux monitors beam rotation resulting from imperfect nulling of flux linking the cathode, and/or broken LIA transport symmetry (e.g., steering, quads, etc.).

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

A Wide Dynamic-Range Halo Monitor for 8 GeV Proton Beams at FNAL

Eliminating harmful beam halos is the most important technique for high-intensity proton accelerators. Therefore, beam halo diagnosis is indispensable and becomes more and more important. At J-PARC, a wide dynamic range monitor was installed in the beam transport line in 2012. The device is a two-dimensional beam profile monitor [*, **], and it has a dynamic range of approximately six digits of magnitude by using Optical Transition Radiation and fluorescence screens. The FNAL accelerator complex has been upgrading through increased beam intensity and beam quality. A new beam halo diagnostic device is required in the beam transport line between the booster and recycler. It will be manufactured in a collaboration between J-PARC and FNAL as a part of the U.S.-Japan Science and Technology Cooperation Program in High Energy Physics. We are redesigning the monitor to satisfy FNAL specifications for beam energy, intensity, and size. The equipment will be manufactured at J-PARC and then shipped to FNAL in 2024. In this report, the design of the device will be described.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Response of thermal and fast-ion transport to beam ion population, rotation and T e / T i in the DIII-D steady state hybrid scenario

The thermal and fast-ion transport properties of DIII-D steady-state hybrid discharges with normalized beta β N ≳ 3 are studied at low injected torque and an increased electron to ion temperature ratio T e / T i . Linear stability analysis performed with the TGLF turbulent code indicates that a high-k mode is usually dominant at smaller radii, whereas a low-k mode is usually dominant at larger radii in these plasmas. A reduction in the net injected torque from 8.6 to 4.3 N-m leads to reduced E × B shear and hence, an enhanced turbulence that was observed on the Doppler backscattering diagnostic and was also computed with TGLF. As T e / T i in the core was increased from 0.57 to 0.66 by adding electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) to these plasmas, higher levels of transport are observed with increased high-k modes indicated by TGLF. The fast-ion transport level varied over an order of magnitude in these discharges depending on whether Alfvén eigenmodes, fishbones, or no instabilities were observed. Hybrid plasmas with fishbones have decreased fast-ion transport, compared to plasmas with Alfvén eigenmodes, since they are resonant with a smaller portion of phase space and their resonance is farther from the wall. This reduction in fast-ion transport with ECCD mitigates the increase in turbulent transport, resulting in higher performance than expected during strong electron heating. Similarly, the lowest fast-ion transport was observed in the low torque plasma, which also led to better than expected performance at this torque value. Finally, the thermal and fast-ion transport changes observed as the torque/rotation and T e / T i are varied indicate possible methods for transferring this scenario to a reactor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Modeling and design of compact, permanent-magnet transport systems for highly divergent, broad energy spread laser-driven proton beams

Laser-driven (LD) ion acceleration has been explored in a newly constructed short focal length laser beamline at the BELLA petawatt facility (interaction point 2, iP2). For applications utilizing such LD ion beams, a beam transport system is required, which for reasons of compactness be ideally contained within 3 m. While they are generated from a micron-scale source, large divergence and energy spread of LD ion beams present a unique challenge to transporting them compared to beams from conventional accelerators. This study gives an overview of proposed compact transport designs using permanent magnets satisfying different requirements depending on the application for the iP2 laser beamline such as radiation biology, material science, and high-energy density science. These designs are optimized for different parameters such as energy spread and peak proton density according to the application’s need. The various designs consist solely of permanent magnet elements, which can provide high magnetic field gradients on a small footprint. While the field strengths are fixed, we have shown that the beam size is able to be tuned effectively by varying the placement of the magnets. The performance of each design was evaluated based on high-order particle tracking simulations of typical LD proton beams. We also examine the ability of certain configurations to tune and select beam energies, critical for specific applications. A more detailed investigation was carried out for a design to deliver 10 MeV LD accelerated ions for radiation biology applications. With these transport system designs, the iP2 laser beamline is ready to house various application experiments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

A development of wide dynamic-range halo monitor for 8 GeV proton beams at FNAL

The FNAL accelerator complex has been upgrading in increasing beam intensity and beam quality. A new beam halo diagnostic device is required in the beam transport line between booster and Recycler. For this purpose, it was decided to introduce the wide dynamic range monitor technique that was developed in 2012 and has been in operation at the J-PARC beam transport line. The device is a two-dimensional beam profile monitor, and it has a dynamic range of approximately six digits of magnitude by using of Optical Transition Radiation and fluorescence screens. Eliminating harmful beam halos is the most important technique for high-intensity proton accelerators. Therefore, beam halo diagnosis is indispensable and becomes more and more important. New FNAL device has been manufactured in a collaboration between J-PARC and FNAL as a part of U.S.-Japan Science and Technology Cooperation Program in High Energy Physics. The equipment will be manufactured at J-PARC and will be shipped to FNAL in 2025.We designed the device to satisfy FNAL specifications: the beam energy, intensity, and size. Currently, most of the equipments are under construction. The large-aperture optical system has been completed and its optical characteristics are being evaluated at J-PARC. We have been also investigating measurement methods corresponding to FNAL bunch trains. This paper reports on the current status of these developments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Installation and commissioning of the ion source systems for the new spallation neutron source 2.5 MeV injector

The U.S. Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a state-of-the-art neutron scattering facility delivering the world’s most intense pulsed neutron beams to a wide array of instruments, which are used to conduct investigations in many fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, material science, and biology. Neutrons are produced by spallation of liquid Hg by the bombardment of short (∼1 µs), intense (∼35 A) pulses of protons delivered at 60 Hz by an accumulator ring which is fed by a high-intensity, 1 GeV, H− LINAC (linear accelerator). This facility has operated nearly continuously since 2006 but has recently undergone a 4-month maintenance period, which featured a complete replacement of the 2.5 MeV injector feeding the LINAC. The new injector was developed at ORNL in an off-line beam test facility and consists of an ion source, low energy beam transport, and a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ). This report first describes the installed configuration of the new injector detailing the ion source system. The first beam current, RFQ transmission, emittance, and energy measurements from the injector installed on the SNS are reported. These data not only show a significant performance improvement for our existing facility but will also make accessible the higher beam current requirements for future SNS upgrade projects: the proton power upgrade and second target station.

Welton, R. F.↗

DOE OSTI2025

IsoDAR@Yemilab: Preliminary design report—volume I (cyclotron driver)

This Preliminary Design Report (PDR) describes the IsoDAR electron-antineutrino source in two volumes which are mostly site-independent and describe the cyclotron driver providing a 10 mA/60 MeV proton beam (this Volume); and the medium energy beam transport line (MEBT) and target (Volume II). The IsoDAR driver and target will produce about 1.15 x 10 23 electron-antineutrinos over 5 years while operating with the anticipated 10 mA/60 MeV beam at an estimated 80% duty factor. Paired with a kton-scale liquid scintillator detector, it will enable a broad particle physics program including searches for new symmetries, new interactions and new particles. Here in Volume I, we describe the driver, which includes the ion source, low energy beam transport, and cyclotron. The latter features Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) direct axial injection and represents the first accelerator purpose-built to make use of so-called vortex motion.

Winklehner, Daniel (ORCID:0000000207156310)↗