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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.

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At least 577 records · Page 32

Performance of Oak Ridge National Laboratory spallation neutron source proton power upgrade cavities and cryomodule production

The Proton Power Upgrade initiative at Oak Ridge National Lab’s Spallation Neutron Source aims to greatly boost the capability of proton beam power. This upgrade involves the integration of seven additional cryomodules, each housing four six-cell high-beta ( β = 0.81 ) superconducting radio frequency cavities. These cavities, manufactured and processed by Research Instruments in Germany, underwent meticulous treatment, including electropolishing as the bulk and final vital step. Upon delivery to Jefferson Lab, a total of 28 cavities for seven cryomodules, along with an additional four cavities for a spare cryomodule, underwent thorough vertical qualification tests, meeting the required specifications. Following cavity tanking and subsequent rf testing, the assembly of eight cryomodules was successfully executed, with all 32 cavities demonstrating compliance with acceptance criteria. The transportation of the cryomodule to SNS for high-power testing in the tunnel yielded exceptional results. Notably, the performance surpassed specifications, in terms of quality factor and accelerating gradient. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

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Experimental measurements for extracting nonlinear invariants

Nonlinear integrable optics are a promising alternative approach to lattice design. The integrable optics test accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab has been constructed for dedicated studies of magnetostatic elliptical elements as described by Danilov and Nagaitsev. The most compelling verification of correct implementation of the NIO lattice is direct observation of the analytically expected invariants. This report outlines the experimental and analytical methods for extracting the nonlinear invariants of motion from data gathered in the last IOTA run.

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Proposed muon collider R&D at SNS

Generation of a muon beam at a Muon Collider requires relatively short, high-charge proton bunches. They are produced in a high-average-power proton driver by first accumulating a proton beam from a super-conducting linac, then bunching the beam and finally compressing and combining the bunches into a single high-intensity proton pulse. All of these beam formation stages involve handling of unprecedentedly high beam charges. Validation of these intricate beam manipulations requires better understanding of extreme space-charge effects and experimental demonstration. A facility perhaps most closely resembling the proton driver configuration and beam parameters is the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator complex at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Considering the energy scaling of the space-charge parameters, many of the beam formation steps planned for the proton driver can be experimentally checked at the SNS at the relevant space-charge interaction levels. This paper discusses potential proton driver and other muon-collider-related R\&D at the SNS.

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LEBT Buncher / Feed Forward / Frequency Generation: System Design Document (SDD)

The LAMP Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) transfers a continuous beam at 100 keV from the ion source to RFQ in LEBT. A LEBT buncher imposes an energy tilt to initiate velocy bunching in the chopped beam pulse about 25 ns long to form a short MPEG bunch. One possible option for the LEBT buncher based on a two-gap LC-circuit driven structure was considered, which is similar to the existing LANSCE low-frequncy buncher (LFB). Another possible option is a non-resonant element driven by a pulse-forming-network that provides a single pulse at the repetition frequency of MPEG beam, with a period of 1.8 µs. The LEBT operation is synchronized with the accelerator timing system.

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Advancements in Accelerator Physics and System Developments for the EIC

The development and enhancement of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) are founded on extensive research and development efforts aimed at achieving rigorous performance goals. This document outlines the crucial research and development (R&D) efforts that underpin the various systems and components of the EIC, including the polarized electron source and linear accelerator (linac) systems. Achieving the collider’s operational benchmarks relies on meticulously enhancing these components to optimize performance.

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Simulations of field emitters and multipacting in PIP-II Single Spoke Resonator Type-2

It has been found in benchmark tests that some Single Spoke Resonator Type-2 (SSR2) cavities have early field emission onset as well as strong multipacting barriers. A longstanding hypothesis is that field-emitted electrons in the high electric field accelerating gap can migrate and ignite multipacting bands in the low electric field regions of the cavity periphery. In this study, we use simulation techniques to examine multipacting behavior in SSR2 cavities from electrons seeded in common field emitter locations. Additionally, we investigated seed locations for areas in SSR2 cavities which may have poor coverage during high pressure water rinsing and compared the multipacting behavior.

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Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) Hadron Storage Ring (HSR) Injection Transport Beamline (Y-Line Ext.) Lattice Design and Magnet Parameters

The preliminary design of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) Hadron Storage Ring (HSR) Normal Conducting Injection Beamline ( Y-Line Ext. ) lattice is discussed. The preliminary design includes the periodic cells, matching sections, state of the art Twiss parameters at the HSR injection, the magnet parameters and first order instrumentation placement. Furthermore, the beamline parameters, element coordinates, and other information are discussed. The names of the HSR Injection Beamline elements used in this technical report ( i.e. HD1, HQ1 ) are preliminary and not the official site wide names.

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An Improved Beam Position Monitor for Scorpius and the DARHT Multi-Pulse Test Line

Beam position monitors (BPMs) provide time-resolved measurements of the current and centroid position of high-current electron beams in linear induction accelerators (LIAs). A frequently used BPM detector is the B-dot loop, which generates a signal from the EMF generated by the time varying magnetic flux through the loop. We have developed a second generation BPM that avoids previously observed diffusion effects in earlier stainless steel through the use of exceptionally high conductivity copper alloy for its construction.

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Effect of magnetic hysteresis on the dipole field in the EIC Rapid Cycling Synchrotron

The soft iron material, of which the yoke of a normal conducting magnet is made of, is subject to magnetic hysteresis under a time varying excitation. The hysteresis loop is influenced by the flow of induced eddy currents, which further affects the magnet field. The Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) at the planned Electron Ion Collider (EIC) facility will accelerate polarized electrons up to 18 GeV at 1 Hz. The impact of hysteresis in the magnet yoke on the magnet field during the ramp, including potential effects on cycle-to-cycle reproducibility, need to be evaluated. This will be the subject of discussion of this tech note in the context of the RCS dipoles.

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Full-Cycle Simulations of the Fermilab Booster

The Proton Improvement Plan phase II (PIP-II) project currently under construction at FNAL will replace the existing 400 MeV normal conducting linac with a new 800 MeV superconducting linac. The beam power in the downstream rapid-cycling Booster synchrotron will be doubled by raising the machine cycle frequency from 15 to 20 Hz and by increasing the injected beam intensity by a factor 1.5. This has to be accomplished without raising uncontrolled losses beyond the administrative limit of 500 W. In addition, slip-stacking efficiency in the Recycler, the next machine in the accelerator chain, sets an upper limit on the longitudinal emittance of the beam delivered by the Booster. As part of an effort to better understand potential losses and emittance blow-up in the Booster, we have been conducting full cycle 6D simulations using the code PyORBIT. The simulations include space charge, wall impedance effects and transition crossing. In this paper, we discuss our experience with the code and present representative results for possible operational scenarios.

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Full Cycle Simulations of The Fermilab Booster

The Proton Improvement Plan phase II (PIP-II) project currently under construction at FNAL will replace the existing 400 MeV normal conducting linac with a new 800 MeV superconducting linac. The beam power in the downstream rapid-cycling Booster synchrotron will be doubled by raising the machine cycle frequency from 15 to 20 Hz and by increasing the injected beam intensity by a factor 1.5. This has to be accomplished without raising uncontrolled losses beyond the administrative limit of 500 W. In addition, slip-stacking efficiency in the Recycler, the next machine in the accelerator chain, sets an upper limit on the longitudinal emittance of the beam delivered by the Booster. As part of an effort to better understand potential losses and emittance blow-up in the Booster, we have been conducting full cycle 6D simulations using the code PyORBIT. The simulations include space charge, wall impedance effects and transition crossing. In this paper, we discuss our experience with the code and present representative results for possible operational scenarios.

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Novel Concepts for High Gradient Acceleration (Final Technical Report)

We have conducted an intensive, pioneering program to demonstrate novel concepts for achieving high gradient acceleration at frequencies from the conventional microwave bands up to the millimeter wave /THz bands. High gradient accelerators hold the promise of smaller and less costly accelerators for applications ranging from the largest scale accelerators used for discovery science down to the smallest accelerators used for industrial, homeland security and medical applications. The research consisted of two major research thrusts: 1.) Structure-based wakefield accelerator (SWFA) research in collaboration with the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator research group and 2.) Millimeter Wave / THz high gradient acceleration in collaboration with SLAC. The specific goals of the research program were: Design novel metallic metamaterial structures that increase the beam-wave coupling for the accelerator mode and reduce the effect of high order modes; test novel metamaterial structures to achieve higher output power, > 1 GW at X-Band (11.7 GHz), in test at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA); determine the experimental breakdown threshold for nanosecond-scale pulses at X-Band in testing at the AWA; test a 110 GHz accelerator structure with a field emission electron gun, built at SLAC, using pulses from a 1 MW, 110 GHz gyrotron; design, build and test a 110 GHz quasi-optical, resonant-ring pulse compressor to compress microsecond pulses from the 1 MW gyrotron into > 20 MW, 5 ns output pulses for accelerator structure testing. The proposed research program built on our successes in our research program including: Generation of 510 MW, 2.1 ns (FWHM) pulses at 11.7 GHz from a metallic metamaterial structure in test at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator using a train of eight 65 MeV electron bunches spaced at 1.3 GHz with a total charge of 280 nC. The metamaterial structure consisted of 100 copper unit cells each consisting of a “wagon-wheel” plate and a spacer plate with a total structure length of 0.2 m. The 510 MW pulse generated an on-axis wakefield of 130 MV/m that could be used to accelerate a trailing witness bunch. Demonstration of coupling of an unprecedented rf power level of 575kW into a 110 GHz accelerator structure using a quasi-optical setup. The standing structure consisted of a central copper cavity located between two matching cavities fed by a TM01 mode. The 6 ns input pulses were sliced from 3 microsecond pulses from the gyrotron using a laser-driven silicon switch. We obtained an unprecedented high gradient up to 230MV/m corresponding to a peak surface electric field of more than 520 MV/m.

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Proposal for a proton-bunch compression experiment at IOTA in the strong space-charge regime

The longitudinal compression of intense proton bunches with strong space-charge force is an essential component of a proton-based muon source for a muon collider. This paper discusses a proton-bunch compression experiment at the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) storage ring at Fermilab to explore optimal radio frequency (RF) cavity and lattice configurations. IOTA is a compact fixed-energy storage ring that can circulate a 2.5-MeV proton beam with varying beam parameters and lattice configurations. The study will aim to demonstrate a bunch-compression factor of at least 2 in the IOTA ring while examining the impact of intense space-charge effects on the compression process.

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QXFA 167 Coil Fabrication Report

QXFA is a cosine theta coil used in the MQXFA, a Nb3Sn superconducting accelerator quadrupole magnet to be installed in the High-Luminosity LHC Interaction Regions. A series of MQXFA magnets is fabricated and tested by the US High-Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP). This report details the fabrication process of the QXFA coil (QXFA 167) using Wind-and-React method, conducted from February 6 to March 20, 2025. The content covers coil winding, curing, and reaction, based on the travelers of FNAL as well as the observations and records by the author. The coil fabrication processes following heat reaction, including the impregnation process, are not covered in this report, as they were carried out after March 20.

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Isochronous and period-doubling diagrams for symplectic maps of the plane

Symplectic mappings of the plane serve as key models for exploring the fundamental nature of complex behavior in nonlinear systems. Central to this exploration is the effective visualization of stability regimes, which enables the interpretation of how systems evolve under varying conditions. While the area-preserving quadratic Hénon map has received significant theoretical attention, a comprehensive description of its mixed parameter-space dynamics remain lacking. This limitation arises from early attempts to reduce the full two-dimensional phase space to a one-dimensional projection, a simplification that resulted in the loss of important dynamical features. Consequently, there is a clear need for a more thorough understanding of the underlying qualitative aspects. This paper aims to address this gap by revisiting the foundational concepts of reversibility and associated symmetries, first explored in the early works of G.D. Birkhoff. We extend the original framework proposed by Hénon by adding a period-doubling diagram to his isochronous diagram, which allows to represents the system’s bifurcations and the groups of symmetric periodic orbits that emerge in typical bifurcations of the fixed point. A qualitative and quantitative explanation of the main features of the region of parameters with bounded motion is provided, along with the application of this technique to other symplectic mappings, including cases of multiple reversibility. Modern chaos indicators, such as the Reversibility Error Method (REM) and the Generalized Alignment Index (GALI), are employed to distinguish between various dynamical regimes in the mixed space of variables and parameters. These tools prove effective in differentiating regular and chaotic dynamics, as well as in identifying twistless orbits and their associated bifurcations. Additionally, we discuss the application of these methods to real-world problems, such as visualizing dynamic aperture in accelerator physics, where our findings have direct relevance.

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Dynamics of McMillan mappings III. Symmetric map with mixed nonlinearity

This article extends the study of the dynamical properties of the symmetric McMillan map, emphasizing its utility in understanding and modeling complex nonlinear systems. Although the map features six parameters, we demonstrate that only two are irreducible: the linearized rotation number at the fixed point and a nonlinear parameter representing the ratio of terms in the biquadratic invariant. Through a detailed analysis, we classify regimes of stable motion, provide exact solutions to the mapping equations, and derive a canonical set of action-angle variables, offering analytical expressions for the rotation number and nonlinear tune shift. We further establish connections between general standard-form mappings and the symmetric McMillan map, using the area-preserving Hénon map and accelerator lattices with thin sextupole magnet as representative case studies. Our results show that, despite being a second-order approximation, the symmetric McMillan map provides a highly accurate depiction of dynamics across a wide range of system parameters, demonstrating its practical relevance in both theoretical and applied contexts.

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Enhanced energy gain through higher-order resonances during direct laser acceleration with superluminal phase velocity

Ultra-high intensity laser–plasma interactions can produce ultra-relativistic electrons via direct laser acceleration, assisted by quasi-static plasma magnetic and electric fields. These fields transversely confine electron motion and induce betatron oscillations. The net energy gain is strongly influenced by the interplay between two frequencies: the betatron frequency and the frequency of laser field oscillations experienced by the electron. Prior work has shown that energy gain is enabled by a resonance between the betatron oscillations and the oscillations of the laser field. In particular, higher-order resonances occur when the laser field completes multiple cycles during one betatron oscillation, allowing additional regimes of energy transfer beyond the fundamental (betatron) resonance. In this work, we demonstrate that such resonances become particularly effective when the laser's phase velocity is superluminal. Although the two frequencies generally evolve differently with increasing electron energy—leading to detuning—a superluminal phase velocity introduces a non-monotonic frequency ratio with a global minimum. This minimum allows sustained frequency matching over a broad energy range, thereby enabling enhanced energy gain. As the phase velocity increases, the betatron resonance becomes ineffective due to premature frequency detuning. At the same time, higher-order resonances become increasingly effective, emerging as the dominant mechanisms for enhanced energy gain in this regime of direct laser acceleration.

Laser plasma interactions↗