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The accelerator-based neutrino experiment Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) in Japan ran in the neutrino mode since 2010 and then switched to the antineutrino mode in 2014. The initial results of the data analysis obtained with antineutrinos are reported here.
A laser-based alignment system with a He-Ne laser has been newly developed in order to precisely align accelerator units at the KEKB injector linac. The laser beam was first implemented as a 500-m-long fiducial straight line for alignment measurements. We experimentally investigated the propagation and stability characteristics of the laser beam passing through laser pipes in vacuum. The pointing stability at the last fiducial point was successfully obtained with the transverse displacements of ±40 μm level in one standard deviation by applying a feedback control. This pointing stability corresponds to an angle of ±0.08 μrad. This report contains a detailed description of the experimental investigation for the propagation and stability characteristics of the laser beam in the laser-based alignment system for long-distance linear accelerators.
We conducted speckle imaging observations of 53 stellar systems that were members of long-term radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaigns and exhibited substantial accelerations indicative of planetary or stellar companions in wide orbits. Our observations were made with blue and red filters using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at Gemini-South and the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager at the WIYN telescope. The speckle imaging identifies eight luminous companions within 2″ of the primary stars. In three of these systems—HD 1388, HD 87359, and HD 104304—the properties of the imaged companion are consistent with the RV measurements, suggesting that these companions may be associated with the primary and the cause of the RV variation. For all 53 stellar systems, we derive differential magnitude limits (i.e., contrast curves) from the imaging. We extend this analysis to include upper limits on companion mass in systems without imaging detections. In 25 systems, we rule out companions with masses greater than 0.2 M {sub ⊙}, suggesting that the observed RV signals are caused by late-M dwarfs or substellar (potentially planetary) objects. On the other hand, the joint RV and imaging analysis almost entirely rules out planetary explanations of the RV signal for HD 19522 and suggests that the companion must have an angular separation below a few tenths of an arcsecond. This work highlights the importance of combined RV and imaging observations for characterizing the outer regions of nearby planetary systems.
Laser Remote Sensing provides critical climate science observations necessary to better measure, understand, model and predict the Earth's water, carbon and energy cycles. Laser Remote Sensing applications for studying the Earth and other planets include three dimensional mapping of surface topography, canopy height and density, atmospheric measurement of aerosols and trace gases, plume and cloud profiles, and winds measurements. Beyond the science, data from these missions will produce new data products and applications for a multitude of end users including policy makers and urban planners on local, national and global levels. NASA Missions in formulation including Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat 2) and the Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI), and future missions such as the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS), will incorporate the next generation of LIght Detection And Ranging (lidar) instruments to measure changes in the surface elevation of the ice, quantify ecosystem carbon storage due to biomass and its change, and provide critical data on CO 2 in the atmosphere. Goddard's plans for these instruments and potential uses for the resulting data are described below. For the ICESat 2 mission, GSFC is developing a micro-pulse multi-beam lidar. This instrument will provide improved ice elevation estimates over high slope and very rough areas and result in improved lead detection for sea ice estimates. Data about the sea ice and predictions related to sea levels will continue to help inform urban planners as the changes in the polar ice accelerate. DESDynI is planned to be launched in 2017 and includes both lidar and radar instruments. GSFC is responsible for the lidar portion of the DESDynI mission and is developing a scanning laser altimeter that will measure the Earth's topography, the structure of tree canopies, biomass, and surface roughness. The DESDynI lidar will also measure and predict the response of ice masses to climate change and impact on sea level. Data from the lidar will ultimately be fused with radar data products with heretofore unseen results and applications. The 3-D structure of forests is critical to understanding the impact of land use and associated landscape changes on the habitat of life forms and consequently on their biodiversity. Lidar instruments are also under development to measure trace gases in the atmospheric such as CO2 and methane. GSFC is developing an active measurement approach to determine the CO2 column density and surface pressure for the proposed ASCENDS mission. The objective of this approach is to produce data on the amounts of anthropogenic and organic CO2 in the atmosphere with sufficient accuracy to meet the needs of target users including state, federal and international users as well as policy-related legislative, regulatory, and voluntary carbon-related management groups local to international interests. In summary, NASA will continue to rely on laser remote sensing for critical climate science observations and is committed to the development of the next generation of lidar instruments for a range of applications.
Detectors made from artificial chemical vapor deposition single crystal diamond have shown great potential for fast neutron spectrometry. In this paper, we present the results of measurements made at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt accelerator using neutron fields in the energy range from 7 MeV to 16 MeV. This study presents the first results of the characterization of the detector in this energy range.
Transversal emittance measurements of intense low-energy beams involve use of collimators. As most of the beam is stopped by a collimator, a question arises whether the special conditions in the vicinity of the collimator influence emittance measurement. In particular, the secondary electrons emitted from the slit surface may affect the measurement of the beam phase distribution. We have observed significant modification in the measured phase space distribution of a 5–6 mA DC proton beam at the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility low-energy transport after application of a weak magnetic field in the plane of the slit collimator. The periphery region of the phase distribution was mostly affected. The overall effect on the emittance value was as large as 20%.
The Orbiter Motion section of the Environet Data Base deals with the acceleration and pointing environment on the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This paper presents a discussion of the contents of this section, how to effectively use the material, and plans for further development and modification of the material. Topics covered in the section include types of disturbance forces, terminology, instrumentation, and sources of motion. The sources of motion are further classified as gravity-gradient, aerodynamic drag, thrusting events, crew motion, and machinery motion. Acceleration levels given are the results of direct measurement and also calculation from known force levels. Where appropriate, power spectral density has been used to evaluate frequency content of the acceleration time history. The pointing accuracy of the Orbiter and instruments carried by the Orbiter for fine pointing is also given.
The free-surface Liquid-Lithium Target, recently developed at Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF), was successfully used with a 1.9 MeV, 1.2 mA (2.3 kW) continuous-wave proton beam. Neutrons (∼2 × 10{sup 10} n/s having a peak energy of ∼27 keV) from the {sup 7}Li(p,n){sup 7}Be reaction were detected with a fission-chamber detector and by gold activation targets positioned in the forward direction. The setup is being used for nuclear astrophysics experiments to study neutron-induced reactions at stellar energies and to demonstrate the feasibility of accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy.
We have developed a practical method for determining an excellent initial arrangement of magnetic arrays for a pure-magnet Halbach-type undulator. In this method, the longitudinal magnetic field distribution of each magnet is measured using a moving Hall probe system along the beam axis with a high positional resolution. The initial arrangement of magnetic arrays is optimized and selected by analyzing the superposition of all distribution data in order to achieve adequate spectral quality for the undulator. We applied this method to two elliptically polarizing undulators (EPUs), called U#16-2 and U#02-2, at the Photon Factory storage ring (PF ring) in the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). The measured field distribution of the undulator was demonstrated to be excellent for the initial arrangement of the magnet array, and this method saved a great deal of effort in adjusting the magnetic fields of EPUs.
Precision length measurements provide valuable insights about the fundamental properties of space-time. The Holometer is a research program to both experimentally probe signatures of the Planck scale and to extend the accessible frequency range from kHz up to MHz for gravitational wave searches. The instrument consists of separate yet identical 39-meter Michelson interferometers operated at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which can reach length sensitivities better than ${10}^{-20}\mathrm{m/}\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ within the 1-10 MHz frequency range. Lastly, the Holometer is fully operational with 130 of hours of science quality data obtained during the first observational campaign.
The MQXFA production series quadrupoles being built for the Hi-Lumi (HL) LHC upgrade by the US Accelerator Upgrade Project (US-HL-LHC AUP) will have very limited instrumentation for characterizing quench events that occur during magnet training and performance validation testing. In order to understand the origin of the quenches, and whether they have some implication for ongoing magnet fabrication, it was decided to build a full-length Quench Antenna (QA) with axial resolution of 50mm to be employed during cold testing in the anticryostat used for magnetic measurements. The goal is to have fineresolution, full-length coverage detection of quench events axially, as well as to have azimuthal resolution on the order of the cable width (about 1 degree for the cross-section), in a device that can be used both for vertical and horizontal testing. To achieve this, a 5m long QA with 128 channels of high-speed data acquisition has been designed and fabricated. The cylindrical antenna features an array of 12 full-length, dipole- and quadrupole-bucked coils positioned radially in the QA interior for azimuthal localization, and over 100 individual channels of short, high-sensitivity, antennas etched as flexible PCB circuits (which also buck dipole and quadrupole fields) wrapped circumferentially on the cylinder exterior in steps of 50mm along the magnet length for axial detection. This report discusses the design, construction and analysis of the MQXFA QA, and first results from using the antenna during quench testing in the production magnets.
This investigation was carried out by the Langley Field Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics for the purpose of measuring the accelerations along the three principal axes of an airplane while it was maneuvering. The airplane selected for this purpose was the fairly maneuverable SE-5A and the instruments used were the NACA three component accelerometer and the NACA recording airspeed meter. The results showed that the normal accelerations did not exceed 4.000 G. While the lateral and longitudinal accelerations did not exceed 0.60 G.
Based on our previously developed scheme to stabilize nonplanar optical resonant cavities utilizing polarization caused by a geometric phase in electromagnetic waves traveling along a twisted path, we report an application of the technique for a cavity installed in the Accelerator Test Facility, a 1.3-GeV electron beam accelerator at KEK, in which photons are generated by laser-Compton scattering. We successfully achieved a power enhancement of 1200 with 1.4% fluctuation, which means that the optical path length of the cavity has been controlled with a precision of 14 pm under an accelerator environment. In addition, polarization switching utilizing a geometric phase of the nonplanar cavity was demonstrated.
This paper describes the development of a computation model of a pulsed voltage generator for a repetitive electron accelerator. The model is based on a principle circuit of the generator, supplemented with the parasitics elements of the construction. Verification of the principle model was achieved by comparison of simulation with experimental results, where reasonable agreement was demonstrated for a wide range of generator load resistance.
Diagnostic for investigating and distinguishing different laser ion acceleration mechanisms has been developed and successfully tested. An ion separation wide angle spectrometer can simultaneously investigate three important aspects of the laser plasma interaction: (1) acquire angularly resolved energy spectra for two ion species, (2) obtain ion energy spectra for multiple species, separated according to their charge to mass ratio, along selected axes, and (3) collect laser radiation reflected from and transmitted through the target and propagating in the same direction as the ion beam. Thus, the presented diagnostic constitutes a highly adaptable tool for accurately studying novel acceleration mechanisms in terms of their angular energy distribution, conversion efficiency, and plasma density evolution.
A prototype C{sup 6+} injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.
The PIP-II Injector Test (PIP2IT) has successfully accelerated ionized hydrogen up to 17MeV through a superconducting, single spoke resonator (SSR1) cryomodule at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). Each of the SSR1 cavities is tuned to 325MHz and requires up to 6 kW of RF power to accelerate 2mA of ionized hydrogen at the design gradients. RF power amplifiers, specialized for SRF cavity beam operations, were designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and constructed in a collaboration between the BARC in Mumbai, India and the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) in Hyderabad, India. The RF amplifiers meet the specifications and requirements mutually approved between BARC and FNAL. They operate at 325 MHz with a linear power output of 7 kW in both CW and pulse mode. The amplifiers are compatible with the FNAL accelerator personnel safety system and the cavity protection interlocks. Access to controls and internal diagnostic instrumentation are compatible with EPICS control standards. This paper gives details about RF power amplifier development within the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India and the operational details with PIP2IT at FNAL.
The scientific goal of Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) is to obtain detailed empirical descriptions of the extended solar corona as it evolves through the solar activity cycle and to use those descriptions to identify and understand the physical processes responsible for coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and the phenomena that establish the plasma properties of the solar wind as measured by 'in situ' solar wind instruments. The UVCS on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has made major advances in identifying the physical processes responsible for solar wind acceleration, and it has made the first high resolution ultraviolet spectroscopic measurements of CMEs. The UVCS has resulted in over 220 scientific publications.