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A system and apparatus for electron beam melting comprises a superconducting radio frequency accelerator configured to produce an electron beam, a conduction cooling system configured to cool the superconducting radio frequency accelerator, and an electron beam melting system wherein the electron beam melts power in a build chamber of the electron beam melting apparatus.
Two accelerator options for producing intense neutrino beams a Neutrino Factory based on stored muon beams and a Beta Beam facility based on stored beams of beta unstable ions are described. Technical challenges for each are described and current R&D efforts aimed at mitigating these challenges are indicated. Progress is being made in the design of both types of facility, each of which would extend the state-of-the-art in accelerator science.
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High-Entropy Alloys are a class of novel material that can offer improved resistance to beam-induced radiation damage and thermal shock. Development of these new alloys to serve as beam windows in multi-megawatt accelerator target applications is ongoing at Fermilab. Currently we are investigating AlCoCrMnTiV alloy systems of 4-6 components for service as beam windows; these compositions are predicted by CALPHAD simulation to have a low density and single-phase BCC crystal structure. The microstructures of these systems are being studied by electron microscopy techniques such as energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to determine elemental homogeneity and composition, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to quantify grain structure and orientation, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe defect structures and precipitate formation; nanoindentation is used to probe microstructural mechanical properties. Initial bulk property characterization utilizes differential scanning calorimetry to quantify specific heat capacity (cp), dilatometry to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) to measure thermal conductivity (K). A miniature tensile testing apparatus is also being developed to test tensile properties. Post-irradiation examination is currently ongoing for several of these compositions that have been irradiated by low-energy ions to damage levels and at a temperature relevant to beam window applications at future next-generation accelerator facilities. This talk will briefly describe the alloy design and synthesis before going into more depth covering microstructural pre-characterization, and post-irradiation examination results from low-energy ion irradiated specimens. This will be followed by the plans for alloy down selection and future prototypic proton irradiations.
➢ Electron beams have shown promise across a range of industrial applications from wastewater treatment to materials processing to advanced manufacturing. ➢ Electron beam processing can be used to either break down unwanted contaminants or to link together different materials ➢ The overall process is cost effective, environmentally friendly and has short processing times.
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We report on the acceleration of impurity-free quasimononenergetic proton beams from an initially gaseous hydrogen target driven by an intense infrared ({lambda} = 10 {micro}m) laser. The front surface of the target was observed by optical probing to be driven forward by the radiation pressure of the laser. A proton beam of MeV energy was simultaneously recorded with narrow energy spread ({sigma}-4%), low normalized emittance (-8 nm), and negligible background. The scaling of proton energy with the ratio of intensity over density (I/n) confirms that the acceleration is due to the radiation pressure driven shock.
A new set of vanes of radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator was commissioned using highly charged iron beam. To supply high intensity heavy ion beams to the RFQ, direct plasma injection scheme (DPIS) with a confinement solenoid was adopted. One of the difficulties to utilize the combination of DPIS and a solenoid field is a complexity of electro magnetic field at the beam extraction region, since biasing high static electric field for ion extraction, RFQ focusing field, and the solenoid magnetic field fill the same space simultaneously. To mitigate the complexity, a newly designed magnetic field clamps were used. The intense iron beam was observed with bunched structure and the total accelerated current reached 2.5 nC.
An ion accelerator system that successfully combines geometrical and electrostatic focusing principles is presented. This accelerator system uses thin, concave, multiple-hole, closely spaced graphite screen and focusing grids which are coupled to single slot accelerator and decelerator grids to provide high ion extraction efficiency and good focusing. Tests with the system showed a substantial improvement in ion beam current density and collimation as compared with a Pierce electrode configuration. Durability of the thin graphite screen and focusing grids has been proven, and tests are being performed to determine the minimum screen and focusing grid spacing and thickness required to extract the maximum reliable beam current density. Compared with present neutral beam injector accelerator systems, this one has more efficient ion extraction, easier grid alignment, easier fabrication, a less cumbersome design, and the capacity to be constructed in a modular fashion. Conceptual neutral beam injector designs using this modular approach have electrostatic beam deflection plates downstream of each module.
In a uniform acceleration region, the behavior of a velocity-modulated electron beam has been analyzed using a particle-in-cell code. By making use of one of the accelerated harmonic components of the velocity-modulated electron beam, we demonstrate a frequency multiplying oscillator for a compact THz emitter, which employs multiple electron beams and a higher order mode resonator to modulate the electron beam without an additional driving source.
We report the generation of a record aluminum ion beam current exceeding 58 mA at the Al 11+ charge state, accelerated to an energy of 5.5 MeV using the direct plasma injection scheme, which integrates a laser ion source (LIS) with a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator. The effect of nozzle geometry on beam extraction was systematically investigated using 8 and 12 mm tapered designs and an 18 mm cylindrical configuration. The 18 mm nozzle achieved the highest Al 11+ beam current, while the 12 mm aperture provided a favorable balance between beam intensity and current density. Beam extraction simulations confirmed effective RFQ matching across multiple charge states, and solenoidal field tuning further enhanced plasma collimation. This work not only establishes a new benchmark for high-current ion beam generation but also provides a fundamental understanding of plasma–beam interface dynamics crucial for the next generation of high-intensity particle accelerators, particularly those employing LIS-RFQ systems.
We report on the properties of radially self-accelerating intensity distributions consisting of two components in the angular frequency domain. We show how this subset of solutions, in literature also known as helicon beams, possesses peculiar characteristics that enable a better control over its properties. In this work, we present a step-by-step optimization procedure to achieve the best possible intensity contrast, a distinct rotation rate and long propagation lengths. All points are discussed on a theoretical basis and are experimentally verified.
Sawtooth stabilisation by fast ions is investigated in deuterium (D) and D-helium 3 (He3) plasmas of JET heated by deuterium Neutral Beam Injection combined in synergy with Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) applied on-axis at 3rd beam cyclotron harmonic. A very significant increase in the sawtooth period is observed, caused by the ICRH-acceleration of the beam ions born at 100 keV to the MeV energy range. Four representative sawteeth from four different discharges are compared with Porcelli's model. In two discharges, the sawtooth crash appears to be triggered by core-localized Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes inside the q = 1 surface (also called “tornado” modes) which expel the fast ions from within the q = 1 surface, over time scales comparable with the sawtooth period. Two other discharges did not exhibit fast ion-driven instabilities in the plasma core, and no degradation of fast ion confinement was found in both modelling and direct measurements of fast ion profile with the neutron camera. The developed sawtooth scenario without fast ion-driven instabilities in the plasma core is of high interest for the burning plasmas. Possible causes of the sawtooth crashes on JET are discussed.
Context: Collisionless shock waves have long been considered to be among the most prolific particle accelerators in the universe. Shocks alter the plasma they propagate through, and often exhibit complex evolution across multiple scales. Interplanetary (IP) traveling shocks have been recorded in situ for over half a century and act as a natural laboratory for experimentally verifying various aspects of large-scale collisionless shocks. A fundamentally interesting problem in both heliophysics and astrophysics is the acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies (> 300 keV) by traveling shocks. Aims: The reason for an incomplete understanding of electron acceleration at IP shocks is due to scale-related challenges and a lack of instrumental capabilities. This Letter presents the first observations of field-aligned beams of relativistic electrons upstream of an IP shock, observed thanks to the instrumental capabilities of Solar Orbiter. This study presents the characteristics of the electron beams close to the source and contributes to the understanding of their acceleration mechanism. Methods: On 25 July 2022, Solar Orbiter encountered an IP shock at 0.98 AU. The shock was associated with an energetic storm particle event, which also featured upstream field-aligned relativistic electron beams observed 14 min prior to the actual shock crossing. The distance of the beam’s origin was investigated using a velocity dispersion analysis (VDA). Peak-intensity energy spectra were analyzed and compared with those obtained from a semi-analytical fast-Fermi acceleration model. Results: By leveraging Solar Orbiter’s high temporal resolution Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), we successfully showcase an IP shock’s ability to accelerate relativistic electron beams. Our proposed acceleration mechanism offers an explanation for the observed electron beam and its characteristics, while we also explore the potential contributions of more complex mechanisms.
Here, this study explores CrMnV and CrMnTiV multi principal element alloy (MPEA) films as candidates for electron beam exit windows in industrial, high-power accelerators. Films were deposited via magnetron sputtering on various substrates and exposed to 66 kGy of 10 MeV e-beam irradiation. Structural and mechanical properties were analyzed using FESEM, XRD, and nanoindentation. CrMnTiV films exhibited superior grain uniformity and hardness, regardless of the substrate type. Compared to bulk materials, both MPEA films demonstrated higher hardness and excellent radiation resistance. These results highlight the potential of MPEA films as durable, radiation-tolerant materials for high-performance accelerator exit window applications.
We report on the design of a seven-cell, standing-wave, 1.3-GHz rf cavity and the associated beam dynamics studies for the upgrade of the drive beamline LINAC at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) facility. The LINAC design is a compromise between single-bunch operation (100 nC {at} 75 MeV) and minimization of the energy droop along the bunch train during bunch-train operation. The 1.3-GHz drive bunch-train target parameters are 75 MeV, 10-20-ns macropulse duration, and 16 x 60 nC microbunches; this is equivalent to a macropulse current and beam power of 80 A and 6 GW, respectively. Each LINAC structure accelerates approximately 1000 nC in 10 ns by a voltage of 11 MV at an rf power of 10 MW. Due to the short bunch-train duration desired ({approx}10 ns) and the existing frequency (1.3 GHz), compensation of the energy droop along the bunch train is difficult to accomplish by means of the two standard techniques: time-domain or frequency-domain beam loading compensation. Therefore, to minimize the energy droop, our design is based on a large stored energy rf cavity. In this paper, we present our rf cavity optimization method, detailed rf cavity design, and beam dynamics studies of the drive beamline.
SPIDER (Source for Production of Ion of Deuterium Extracted from RF Plasma only) and MITICA (Megavolt ITER Injector Concept Advanced) are the ITER neutral beam injector (NBI) testing facilities of the PRIMA (Padova Research Injector Megavolt Accelerated) Center. Both injectors accelerate negative deuterium ions with a maximum energy of 1 MeV for MITICA and 100 keV for SPIDER with a maximum beam current of 40 A for both experiments. The SPIDER facility is classified in Italy as a particle accelerator. At present, the design of the radiation safety system for the facility has been completed and the relevant reports have been presented to the Italian regulatory authorities. Before SPIDER can operate, approval must be obtained from the Italian Regulatory Authority Board (IRAB) following a detailed licensing process. In the present work, the main project information and criteria for the SPIDER injector source are reported together with the analysis of hypothetical accidental situations and safety issues considerations. Neutron and photon nuclear analysis is presented, along with special shielding solutions designed to meet Italian regulatory dose limits. The contribution of activated corrosion products (ACP) to external exposure of workers has also been assessed. Nuclear analysis indicates that the photon contribution to worker external exposure is negligible, and the neutron dose can be considered by far the main radiation protection issue. Our results confirm that the injector has no important radiological impact on the population living around the facility.
The simultaneous optimization of multiple objective functions is needed in many particle accelerator applications. In this paper, we present a parallel evolution based multi-objective optimizer that uses a variable population from generation to generation and an external storage to save good solutions. Two heuristic optimization methods, one uses the unified differential evolution and the other uses the real-coded genetic algorithm, are included in the optimizer to generate next generation candidate solutions, and are compared in the test examples. Finally, as an application, we applied this optimizer to the beam dynamics design optimization of a photoinjector and attained the optimal front solutions after 200 generations with the unified differential evolution offspring production scheme.